Episode 6: “Fix Your Face: Performing Wellness and the Path to Embodied Self-Care”

Episode 6: “Fix Your Face: Performing Wellness and the Path to Embodied Self-Care”

“Fix Your Face: Performing Wellness and the Path to Embodied Self-Care” Welcome to Episode 6 of the Smart Wellness Global Podcast. This is a place for gifted, high-achieving Black professionals who are ready to stop surviving success and to start living it from a place of alignment, rest, and self-trust. In this episode, Summer Esquerre, an ICF-certified somatic leadership coach and former corporate executive, and Dr. Reba Peoples, a board-certified psychiatrist, functional medicine practitioner, and emotional wellness strategist, discuss the pressure to “fix your face” and the difference between surface-level self-care and authentic, strategic wellness. The conversation explores how performing emotions and wellness can be confusing for a child and discusses the importance of expressing emotions like crying and anger as part of a wellness strategy. You will find out: •Why the phrase “better fix your face” can be confusing for a child. •The difference between surface-level self-care (like bubble baths and massages) and true wellness as a lifestyle. •The components of the Smart Wellness framework include sleep, physical movement, awareness practice, and tailoring inputs (nutrition, people, media). •How being told not to cry can lead to an avoidant attachment style. •That depression can be anger turned inward. •The difference between reactive anger (operating in survival mode) and responding from a place of “righteous indignation” (frontal lobes in control). •How working on the “window of tolerance” can help manage emotions. •The necessity of community in healing, especially in a society that rewards “rugged individualism” and does not always value wellness. •A somatic practice for community care: spending focused time with someone you care about over the next six weeks. This talk is for the professional who has been told to “fix your face”. This talk is for the gifted, high-achieving Black professional struggling to prioritize their self-care in a demanding society. For those who feel like true wellness is a confusing and complicated topic, and those who have been told expressing emotion is “not safe”. Embodied strategic wellness is a collective endeavor. Understanding, compassion, and regular practice are the first steps to healing. Use your body to listen. Take what helps you heal. Leave the rest. If you liked this episode, please subscribe to the channel, rate the podcast, and leave a comment answering this question: What is one thing you can start practicing today for strategic self-care and community care? Get your free copy of the Unmasking Power Pack [https://smartwellnessglobal.com/smart-wellness-free-community-523960] and join the SMART Wellness Community, which is exclusive to members. You may find us at smartwellnessglobal.com [http://smartwellnessglobal.com]. Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/smart_wellness_global/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smartwellnessglobal/ You may find us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7429252211760717824 Substack: https://substack.com/@smartwellnessglobal Become a member of the free community Find out about the SMART Wellness Framework Podcast Warning This podcast is not medical advice; it is only for educational purposes. For individualized help, please talk to a registered mental health professional or doctor. #SMARTWellness #SMARTWellnessGlobal #podcast #blackwomenhealing #highachievingwomen #SMARTWellnessPodcast #SelfCareStrategy #EmotionalWellness #SomatiHealing #CommunityCare Get full access to SMART Wellness Global at smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe [https://smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 5: “Stop Surviving and Start Living: Unmasking High-Functioning Depression”

“Stop Surviving and Start Living: Unmasking High-Functioning Depression” Welcome to Episode 5 of the SMART Wellness Global Podcast. This is a place for talented, successful, and neurodiverse Black professionals who are ready to stop just surviving their success and start enjoying it from a place of alignment, rest, and self-trust. Summer C. Esquerre, an ICF somatic leadership coach and former CEO, and Dr. Reba Peoples, a board-certified psychiatrist, functional medicine practitioner, and emotional wellness strategist, talk about high-functioning depression within this episode. We delve into the reasons why individuals with high-functioning depression, particularly gifted and high-achieving Black people, conceal their symptoms to maintain their public image. We also discuss how hard it is for them to talk about their problems with friends and family when they look successful. Dr. Reba Peoples talks on the three parts of the emotional wellness stool: lifestyle, biology, and deeper issues like who you are, what you mean, and what you want to do with your life. Summer C. Esquerre also talks about a healing somatic practice that includes five songs and dance. You will find out: * If you have depression, you may have trouble sleeping, have a change in your appetite, lose interest in things, or feel alone. * Three key things that affect emotional well-being are lifestyle, biology, and deeper issues. - How changing things like food, information, and relationships may affect your emotional health. * These “symptoms are signals” indicating that something is not right. * The necessity of getting professional treatment (such as from a therapist or psychiatrist) and reaching out to others in your community. - A body-based therapy that uses movement and writing to heal. * The message of hope: you don’t have to stay this way, and things will get better. This talk is for the professional who thinks about meetings again and again. This talk is for leaders who feel feedback in their bodies before they understand it. For the woman who has been trained, being perfect is the only way to be safe. The smart mind deserves serenity, not punishment. Being sensitive is not a sign of weakness. Your nervous system is reacting to what you’ve been through. Understanding, compassion, and regular practice are the first steps to healing. Use your body to listen. Take what helps you heal. Leave the rest. If you liked this episode, please subscribe to the channel, rate the podcast, and leave a comment answering this question: What is one thing that your mind tends to dwell on after getting feedback or having a disagreement? Get your free copy of the Unmasking Power Pack and join the SMART Wellness Community, which is exclusive for members. You may find us at smartwellnessglobal.com Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/smart_wellness_global/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smartwellnessglobal [https://www.facebook.com/smartwellnessglobal] You may find us on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/company/smart-wellness-global [https://linkedin.com/company/smart-wellness-global] Substack: https://substack.com/@smartwellnessglobal [https://substack.com/@smartwellnessglobal] Become a member of the free community Find out about the SMART Wellness Framework Podcast Warning This podcast is not medical advice; it is only for educational purposes. For individualized help, please talk to a registered mental health professional or doctor. If you feel like things are particularly gloomy right now, it’s really vital that you talk to a doctor or someone else in your life. Don’t try to handle it alone. Get full access to SMART Wellness Global at smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe [https://smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 4: "Rumination, Sensitivity, and Reclaiming Your Power"

Stop Letting Them Live in Your Head for Free. Rumination, Sensitivity, and Reclaiming Your Power Welcome to Episode 4 of the SMART Wellness Podcast, a space created for gifted, high-achieving, and neurodiverse Black professionals who are ready to stop surviving their success and start living it from alignment, rest, and self-trust. In this episode, Summer C. Esquerre and Dr. Reba Peoples unpack rumination, emotional sensitivity, and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), especially as they show up in corporate and professional environments where Black women are rarely granted the assumption of competence. We explore why certain comments linger in your body long after the conversation ends, why feedback can feel physically painful, and why this response is not a personal flaw but often a nervous system adaptation to high pressure and historically unsafe environments. You will learn: * Why rumination keeps your nervous system stuck in survival mode * How Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) shows up in gifted and neurodiverse adults * Why Black professionals experience heightened sensitivity to mistakes and feedback * How confirmation bias and lack of assumed competence impact emotional safety * The difference between a disorder and an adaptive response to a dysfunctional environment * Grounding practices to interrupt mental spirals and somatic stress * How to build a support system that helps you reality-check perceived rejection * Simple daily practices that restore self-trust and emotional regulation This conversation is for the professional who replays meetings in their head. This conversation is intended for the leader who experiences feedback in their body before their mind can comprehend it. For the woman who has been taught, perfection is the price of safety. The gifted mind deserves peace, not punishment. Your sensitivity is not a weakness. Your nervous system is responding to lived experience. Healing begins with understanding, compassion, and consistent practice. Listen with your body. Take what supports your healing. Leave the rest. If this episode resonated, subscribe to the channel, rate the podcast, and leave a comment answering this question: What is one thought your mind tends to ruminate on after feedback or conflict? Grab your free copy of the Unmasking Power Pack and get access to the exclusive SMART Wellness Community. Visit us at: https://smartwellnessglobal.com Connect with SMART Wellness Global: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smart_wellness_global/ [https://www.instagram.com/smart_wellness_global/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smartwellnessglobal [https://www.facebook.com/smartwellnessglobal] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smart-wellness-global [https://linkedin.com/company/smart-wellness-global] Join the Free Community [https://smartwellnessglobal.com/smart-wellness-free-community-523960] Learn the SMART Wellness Framework Podcast Disclaimer This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please consult a licensed mental health professional or physician for personalized support. Get full access to SMART Wellness Global at smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe [https://smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Episode 3: “Don’t Let the Smooth Taste Fool You.”

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Episode 2: “What it means to be busy, But not truly moving.”

Power or Survival? Code Switching, Safety, and Reclaiming Yourself Welcome to Episode 2 of the SMART Wellness Podcast. This podcast exists for gifted, high achieving, and neurodiverse Black women who have succeeded on paper yet still feel disconnected, tired, or constrained inside their own bodies. In this episode, Dr. Reba Peoples and Summer C. Esquerre explore the difference between operating from power versus survival. We unpack how code switching develops as a safety response, how it keeps the nervous system on high alert, and what it costs your body over time. This is a conversation about awareness, agency, and choice. You will learn: * How to recognize when you are code switching from fear versus intention * Why survival based performance keeps your body stuck in chronic stress * How fight, flight, freeze, and appease show up in professional spaces * What it feels like to shift from contorting to grounded presence * How identity recognition supports nervous system regulation * A practical reframe to help you move through high pressure spaces with clarity This episode is for the woman who prepares before every interaction. For the leader who monitors her tone, posture, and presence to stay safe. For the professional who senses her body tighten before she even speaks. You are not broken. Your body adapted. And you are allowed to choose something different. Listen with curiosity. Notice your body. Take what supports your healing. If this episode resonated, subscribe, rate the podcast, and leave a comment. Tell us where you notice survival mode showing up in your life. Grab your free copy of the Unmasking Power Pack [https://www.notion.so/SMART-WELLNESS-GLOBAL-26311d59f7d28034ace0e6f8d6b6c5c3?pvs=21] and join the SMART Wellness Community. Connect with us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smart_wellness_global/ [https://www.instagram.com/smart_wellness_global/] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smartwellnessglobal/ [https://www.facebook.com/smartwellnessglobal/] LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/smart-wellness-global [https://linkedin.com/company/smart-wellness-global] Join the Free Community: https://smartwellnessglobal.com/smart-wellness-free-community-523960 [https://smartwellnessglobal.com/smart-wellness-free-community-523960] Podcast Disclaimer This podcast is for educational purposes only. It does not replace medical or mental health care. Please work with a licensed professional for personalized support. Get full access to SMART Wellness Global at smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe [https://smartwellnessglobal.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]