Ep. 8 : This Is Just the Beginning

Ep. 8 : This Is Just the Beginning

What if everything you've been told about middle age is wrong? In the Season 1 finale of The Healing Life, Amanda explores what it actually means to step into yourself — through her own story, through research on identity and self-transcendence, and through the radical idea that the hard stuff you've lived through was never a detour. It was always the path. For anyone who has ever wondered if they've missed their window: you haven't. It's exactly the right time. Sources Almeida D.M., Rush J., Mogle J., Piazza J.R., Cerino E., & Charles S.T. (2023). Longitudinal change in daily stress across 20 years of adulthood: Results from the national study of daily experiences. Developmental Psychology 59(3):515-523. doi: 10.1037/dev0001469. Reischer, H. N., Couch, N. G., Wright, M. N., Duarte, A. J., & McAdams, D. P. (2026). Narrative self-transcendence: Decreased regret and increased acceptance over late midlife. Journal of Personality, 94(1), 137–150. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.13022 [https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.13022] Reischer, H. N., Roth, L. J., Villarreal, J. A., & McAdams, D. P. (2021). Self-transcendence and life stories of humanistic growth among late-midlife adults. Journal of Personality, 89(2), 305–324.

Ep. 7: Late Diagnosed

Three weeks ago, I found out I'm autistic. This episode is about what that's been like — the thing I've always felt inside myself that finally has a name, the mask coming off, tending to the severe burnout in which I found myself, addressing communication issues that nearly ended my marriage, and why I'm scared and okay at the same time.

Ep. 6: Coming Home to My Body

In this episode, I share my journey toward healing my connection to my body after a childhood defined by purity culture, sexual assault, and the message that my body was a problem to be controlled. I talk about pelvic floor physical therapy, what happened to my nervous system after surgery in 2020, how I found Rosen Method bodywork and why it changed everything, a dysautonomia diagnosis that sent me back to square one, and what eating disorder recovery taught me about the through-line connecting all of it. Learn more about Rosen Method at www.rosenmethod.com. Content note: This episode includes non-graphic discussion of childhood sexual assault, pelvic floor dysfunction, panic attacks, dysautonomia, and eating disorder recovery.

Ep. 5: Unbreakable - Healing from Childhood Sexual Assault

Content note: This episode includes discussion of childhood sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and the criminal justice system. No graphic details are shared. If you or someone you know needs support, RAINN's 24/7 hotline is available at 800.656.HOPE (4673), through chat at RAINN.org/hotline [https://rainn.org/help-and-healing/hotline/], or by texting “HOPE” to 64673. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and as a childhood sexual assault survivor, this awareness month and episode are close to my heart. In this episode, I share my story of abuse, silence, disclosure, healing, and the legal process that didn't go the way it should have. I also dig into the research on grooming, on why survivors don't disclose, and on the staggering gap between how often sexual assault occurs and how rarely perpetrators face real consequences. I also share the three unshakeable beliefs that carried me through the worst of it and still carry me today. Sources Gewirtz-Meydan, A., & Finkelhor, D. (2020). Sexual Abuseand Assault in a Large National Sample of Children and Adolescents. Child Maltreatment, 25(2), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559519873975 [https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559519873975] Manay, N., & Collin-Vézina, D. (2021). Recipients ofchildren’s and adolescents’ disclosures of childhood sexual abuse: A systematic review. Child Abuse & Neglect, 116, 104192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104192 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104192] McAlinden, A.M. (2012). 'Grooming' and the sexual abuseof children: Institutional, internet and familial dimensions. Oxford University Press. McElvaney, R., Moore, K., O’Reilly, K., Turner, R., Walsh,B., & Guerin, S. (2020). Child sexual abuse disclosures: Does age make a difference? Child Abuse & Neglect, 99, 104121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104121 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104121] RAINN. (n.d.). The criminal justice system: Statistics.Retrieved from rainn.org. Data sourced from Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Incident-Based Reporting System, 2012–2016 (2017). Winters, G. M., Jeglic, E. L., Johnson, B. N., & Chou,C. (2024). The prevalence of sexual grooming behaviors among survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 154, 106842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106842 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106842]

Ep. 4: All Bodies Are Good Bodies

What does it mean to make peace with your body? In this episode, I sit down with Elle, the artist behind Elle Em Art and a female body acceptance advocate, for a conversation about the journey from body shame to body acceptance. We talk about diet culture, the lies we were told growing up, what sustainability actually looks like when it comes to how we see ourselves, and why body acceptance might matter more than body positivity. Elle shares how art became the unexpected path to seeing herself differently, and I share some of the hardest and most tender moments in my own journey. Connect with Elle: Instagram: @ElleEmArt TikTok: @ElleEm.Art Content note: This episode includes some discussion of eating disorder recovery, diet culture, and body image. No graphic details are discussed. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, the National Alliance for Eating Disorders [https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/] helpline is available at 1-866-662-1235.