My Inner Knowing

Workplace Wellness Isn’t Enough: What People Really Need

Chase Sterling, MA is the founder of Wellbeing Think Tank, a nonprofit organization created to educate and empower employers to support both individual and organizational wellbeing. What began as a quarterly educational event series in 2019 grew into a larger movement during the pandemic, bringing together workplace health and wellbeing professionals who wanted to create more meaningful, practical support for organizations and communities. In this conversation, Chase and I explore what it really takes to create workplaces where people can thrive — not just through wellness benefits or surface-level programs, but through culture, leadership, inclusion, psychological safety, evidence-based practices, and whole-person support. We talk about the difference between workplace wellness and workplace wellbeing, and why true wellbeing is not one program, one benefit, or one training. It is the way people are treated. It is the way leadership listens. It is the way policies are designed. It is the way organizations respond to stress, change, workload, burnout, grief, trauma, and the very human reality that everyone brings a life with them into the workplace. Chase invites us to think more deeply about the environments we live and work in, and how those environments shape our health, resilience, sense of belonging, and ability to trust ourselves. This conversation is for leaders, employees, therapists, HR professionals, business owners, and anyone who has ever wondered whether their exhaustion is a personal failure — or whether the system around them may also need to change. What if wellbeing at work is not about asking people to become endlessly resilient? What if it begins with creating workplaces that do not cause harm? And what if the way we work could help us become more human, not less? WHAT YOU’LL LEARN • Why workplace wellbeing is much bigger than wellness programs or employee benefits • The difference between workplace wellness and workplace wellbeing • Why Chase says, “When it comes to wellbeing at work, all you need to do is everything” • How leadership, culture, policies, workload, inclusion, and psychological safety all shape human wellbeing • Why burnout is not always an individual resilience issue • How organizations can tell the difference between employee capacity issues and structural problems • Why listening to employees is essential for creating healthier workplaces • How workplaces can unintentionally teach people to override their bodies • What psychological safety can feel like in the body • Why work, at its best, can help people grow, transform, connect, and build confidence • What depleted employees may need to consider when they are wondering, “Is it me, or is it the environment?” ABOUT CHASE STERLING Chase Sterling is the founder of Wellbeing Think Tank, a nonprofit organization created to educate and empower employers to support both individual and organizational wellbeing. Learn more about Chase and Wellbeing Think Tank: www.wellbeingthinktank.org [http://www.wellbeingthinktank.org] ABOUT THERESA HUBBARD Theresa Hubbard, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Kansas City Neuroplasticity Institute in Liberty, Missouri. She is the host of the My Inner Knowing podcast, where she explores self-trust, nervous system regulation, relationships, trauma healing, embodiment, and the process of learning to listen inwardly with more honesty and compassion. Learn more: www.myinnerknowing.com [http://www.myinnerknowing.com] www.theresahubbard.com [http://www.theresahubbard.com] www.kcnpi.com [http://www.kcnpi.com] HASHTAGS #WorkplaceWellbeing #WorkplaceWellness #PsychologicalSafety #BurnoutRecovery #Leadership #OrganizationalCulture #EmployeeWellbeing #MentalHealthAtWork #SelfTrust #NervousSystemRegulation #HealthyWorkplaces #WellbeingThinkTank #MyInnerKnowing #TheresaHubbard #ChaseSterling

Mental Health KC Conference ~ Neurofeedback, Shiftwave, and Whole-System Supports for Nervous System Resilience

In this deeply embodied talk, Theresa Hubbard, LMFT, explores the question: What has the body been trying to tell us? Drawing from her clinical work with trauma, chronic stress, neurofeedback, nervous-system regulation, and emerging body-based technologies such as the Shiftwave Chair, Theresa invites listeners to consider that the body is not the obstacle to healing, it may be one of the most honest messengers we have. This episode explores the connection between mental health, physiology, chronic dysregulation, pain, sleep, inflammation, trauma, stress, and the autonomic nervous system. Theresa discusses why insight, therapy, breathwork, meditation, and cognitive tools matter deeply, while also naming that many people are trying incredibly hard and still cannot consistently access the physiological state required for healing. Through story, science, reflection, and guided moments of body awareness, this talk offers a compassionate reframing of symptoms — not as signs of failure, but often as adaptations that once helped us survive. Theresa also introduces the difference between the central nervous system and autonomic nervous system, the importance of body-up regulation, the role of the vagus nerve network, and why technologies such as neurofeedback and Shiftwave may help support the body in accessing states of safety, recovery, restoration, clarity, and connection. This is not a talk about fixing the body.It is an invitation to listen to it differently. What if the question is not, “What is wrong with me?”What if the question is, “What is my body still trying to tell me?” WHAT YOU’LL LEARN •       Why approximately 80% of vagus nerve fibers carry information fromthe body to the brain (afferent) — and what that means for “calming down” bythinking differently •       The difference between the central nervous system and theautonomic nervous system in clinical practice •       How neurofeedback works with the brain’s communication patterns,and why insurance CPT codes effective January 1, 2027 are likely to accelerateaccess in the Midwest •       Two foundational nutritional supports: high-quality omega-3 EPA intriglyceride form (referencing Dr. Stephen Ilardi’s work at the University ofKansas), and adequate amino acids •       How the Shiftwave chair integrates patterned vibration, breathsynchronization, sound, reclined positioning, and reduced sensory input intoone experience •       How the Shiftwave chair moved from special forces physicalrecovery to professional and collegiate athletics to mental health practice •       That as of January 2026, veterans receiving care through the VAmay qualify for a Shiftwave chair at no cost for 4, 8, or 12 months •       Why higher-intensity settings often appeal to chronicallyactivated nervous systems but slower pacing is frequently what the bodyactually needs •       Why one regulated nervous system can shift the physiological stateof an entire room COMMON QUESTIONS What is the Shiftwave chair? An integrated sensory technology that combines patterned vibration, breath synchronization, sound, and reclined positioning to help the autonomic nervous system shift toward recovery states. Created by engineers Mike North and Alan Macy, originally for special forces recovery, now used in clinical, athletic, and home settings. Learn more: www.shiftwave.co/kcnpi [https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.shiftwave.co_kcnpi&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=StZwvMKLieSUl9jtzvHsYVCQ7Ir05kqOeARE59wkL-g&m=9bk90q3B7oBVxfn8pHPlyDZU_4cEUqWJqwsHts0nia4BtDMLBeGMzzcUzNx7iO82&s=g4RoKYZDzv4tflNB8g4JaFavlMjW8mvGXzoeeUbkemg&e=] Is the Shiftwave chair covered by insurance or VA benefits? Veterans receiving care through the VA may be eligible for clinician-directed access to Shiftwave through participating providers or applicable VA care pathways. Availability, duration, and cost coverage vary on a case-by-case basisbased on clinical need, VA eligibility, provider participation, authorization, and the best fit for your care plan. www.shiftwave.co/kcnpi This episode includes discussion of Shiftwave, a technology I use personally and clinically. This is not a paid sponsorship and I was not paid or asked to create this talk.

Sleep, Menopause, and the Mental Load Women Carry

Menopause is often viewed through the lens of hormones and physical symptoms, but its impact extends into nearly every area of life—including sleep, cognitive health, emotional well-being, relationships, and work.In this episode, Theresa Hubbard is joined by Cynthia Conigliaro, MSW, MBA, CHWC, a health and wellness educator, coach, and corporate wellness consultant with more than 20 years of experience helping individuals and organizations improve emotional and physical well-being. Cynthia's work focuses on topics such as sleep, resilience, stress management, mindset, healthy coping strategies, and workplace wellness. She brings a unique perspective grounded in psychology, social work, health coaching, and organizational wellness. Together, Theresa and Cynthia explore the profound role sleep plays in overall health and why it becomes especially important during midlife and menopause. They discuss the impact of hormonal changes on memory, focus, mood, energy, and daily functioning, while also examining the broader life transitions many women experience during this season. In this conversation, they discuss: • Why sleep is foundational to physical, emotional, and cognitive health • The relationship between menopause, brain health, and emotional well-being • How stress, lifestyle, and daily habits influence sleep quality • The challenges women face while balancing careers, caregiving, relationships, and personal health • Practical ways to support resilience and well-being during times of transition • Why conversations about menopause and women's health are finally gaining long-overdue attention This episode offers both education and encouragement for anyone navigating menopause, supporting a loved one through it, or simply wanting to better understand the connection between sleep, health, and overall well-being. Whether you're experiencing these changes firsthand or seeking ways to care for yourself more intentionally, this conversation provides practical insights and compassionate perspective for one of life's most significant transitions. https://workwellwebinars.com/

When Being Strong Becomes Too Much - Week Two - Listening Gently To Fatigue

What happens when being strong for too long begins to disconnect you from your own body? In Week Two of the series When Being Strong Becomes Too Much, Theresa guides listeners through a gentle meditation focused on fatigue — not as weakness or failure, but as information the body has been trying to communicate. This experience invites you to slow down, listen inward, and explore the deeper relationship between exhaustion, survival patterns, over-responsibility, and the pressure to keep pushing through. Together, we explore: • the emotional and physical experience of fatigue • staying in relationship with the body instead of overriding it • the inner voice that equates rest with weakness • nervous system exhaustion and chronic alertness • learning to meet yourself with understanding instead of force Rather than trying to “fix” fatigue, this guided practice creates space to notice what your body may have been carrying for too long — gently, without judgment or urgency. If you’ve been feeling emotionally tired, stretched thin, disconnected from yourself, or exhausted from constantly holding everything together, this meditation offers an opportunity to pause, breathe, and listen differently. Find a quiet space, get comfortable, and allow yourself to settle into the experience.

Listening To Your Body When The Medical System Doesn't ~ With Dr. Diana Stafford

When you know something in your body feels wrong… but no one can seem to explain why.In this episode, Theresa sits down with Dr. Diana Stafford, MD — board-certified physician, functional health practitioner, and founder of The Detox Doc — to explore the deeper connections between gut health, mold exposure, toxins, the nervous system, and chronic symptoms that are often overlooked or misunderstood.Together, they discuss:• gut health and the microbiome• mold illness and environmental toxins• fatigue, brain fog, inflammation, and mood changes• why traditional testing doesn’t always provide answers• root-cause healing and functional medicine• learning to listen to the body’s signals instead of dismissing themThis conversation explores what happens when symptoms don’t fit neatly into a diagnosis — and how many people begin disconnecting from their own internal knowing after repeatedly being told that everything looks “normal.”Dr. Diana Stafford is a board-certified physician and functional health practitioner specializing in gut health, mold illness, and root-cause healing. Known online as “The Detox Doc,” she combines conventional medical training with functional medicine to help people heal safely and sustainably. She is the bestselling author of *Conquering Mold and Candida Detox*, creator of multiple educational programs, and leader of an online community of more than 100,000 people focused on long-term wellness and recovery. If you’ve ever felt like your body was trying to tell you something — even when you couldn’t fully explain it — this episode may resonate deeply.