Somatic Therapy: Does the Body Keep the Score?

Somatic Therapy: Does the Body Keep the Score?

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/fan_mail/new] Your body reacts before your brain can explain it. A glance from the wrong person, a headline on your phone, a tense meeting at work, and suddenly it hits your stomach, your throat tightens, or your chest feels heavy. We talk about why that happens, how trauma and chronic stress can get stored in the body, and what it looks like to heal through embodiment instead of only through insight. I’m joined by Angel Howard, somatic movement therapist, executive coach, host of the Upshift Podcast, and author of Issues In Your Tissues. Together we dig into how movement and sensation can interrupt anxiety loops, why many of us live in our heads to avoid old pain, and how grounding practices like feeling your feet, tracking your breath, and gentle shaking can safely bring you back online. We also name a hard truth for many women: we were taught to be quiet, composed, and “not too much,” even when our bodies are begging us to express what’s been suppressed. Angel breaks down her chakra mental method as an ancient but surprisingly practical framework for women’s mental health, nervous system regulation, boundaries, and voice. We connect the dots between self-nurturing, scheduling real time off, and preventing stress from becoming chronic. We also explore executive presence and communication, including how to stay embodied in male-dominated spaces without swinging between shrinking back and pushing too hard to be heard. If you’ve been searching for somatic therapy tools, trauma healing through movement, or a clearer way to listen to what your body is saying, this conversation will give you a grounded starting point. Follow and share this with a friend who needs it. You can find Angel HERE [https://angelhoward.co/] https://angelhoward.co/ Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/support] Learn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE [https://maryrothwell.net/natureknowsbook]. Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at NSVpodcast@gmail.com.  Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingviolets Follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550550204259&mibextid=LQQJ4d]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/maryrothwell_lpc?igsh=MWR1ZmgzYXBucGU1dQ==], and check out my website [https://maryrothwell.net/]!

A Garden Story About Self Trust

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/fan_mail/new] We use a struggling shade plant as a mirror for the moments we stop trusting our own eyes and instincts. We connect gardening lessons to burnout, identity, and the relief that comes from changing the environment instead of blaming ourselves. • noticing a mismatch between assumptions and reality • a pulmonaria story that shows how conditions drive outcomes • “believe what you’re seeing” as a self-trust practice • asking “what else could be true?” when things do not add up • how big changes can quietly erase the “shade” we need • why struggling does not mean you are broken • choosing the right environment so you can truly thrive Find my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants, on Amazon HERE [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTWSYRLK]. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/support] Learn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE [https://maryrothwell.net/natureknowsbook]. Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at NSVpodcast@gmail.com.  Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingviolets Follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550550204259&mibextid=LQQJ4d]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/maryrothwell_lpc?igsh=MWR1ZmgzYXBucGU1dQ==], and check out my website [https://maryrothwell.net/]!

What If Midlife Is Where You Begin: Boundaries, Burnout & Reinvention

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/fan_mail/new] If you’ve been the competent one for decades, you can get so good at holding everything together that you stop noticing you’re not actually inside your own life. Mary Rothwell opens with a personal turning point, leaving a career-defining job after it became unsafe, and the disorienting question that followed: who am I when my identity is no longer my role? Midlife coach Sandra Wood joins us with her own flashbulb moments, including a breast cancer diagnosis that sparked a life review and a clear internal message to show up for herself. We talk about what happens when you start setting boundaries after years of people-pleasing and overfunctioning: the system pushes back, conflict feels threatening, and labels like selfish or crazy can get thrown your way. Sandra shares how learning to tolerate discomfort and let other people have their feelings can become the most freeing boundary of all. We also dig into the messy middle: divorce, depression, rebuilding financial stability, and parenting daughters while reinventing yourself in real time. Along the way, we explore the difference between “managing” your life and inhabiting it, why kindness is a stronger compass than being “good,” and how the caregiving role can quietly erase your wants if you don’t stay present to them. Finally, we clear up a common point of confusion for women seeking support: coaching vs therapy, when you may need both, and how to vet a therapist or coach with confidence. If you’re at a crossroads with burnout, boundaries, identity, perimenopause stress, or caregiving pressure, this conversation offers language and next steps. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s carrying too much, and leave a review with the boundary you’re ready to practice next. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/support] Learn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE [https://maryrothwell.net/natureknowsbook]. Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at NSVpodcast@gmail.com.  Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingviolets Follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550550204259&mibextid=LQQJ4d]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/maryrothwell_lpc?igsh=MWR1ZmgzYXBucGU1dQ==], and check out my website [https://maryrothwell.net/]!

Trigger Warnings, Trauma, And The Skills To Tolerate Life

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/fan_mail/new] We explore why trigger warnings and the word trigger can feel both helpful and limiting, especially when avoidance starts to shape daily life. I share stories and nature-based metaphors to show how resilience grows when we build tolerance, not when we retreat from every uncomfortable reminder.  • why trigger warnings rose in classrooms and culture  • the difference between everyday irritations and trauma-based triggers  • trauma as an untreated injury that changes how we move through life  • the amygdala as a smoke detector that can misread present-day safety  • personal examples involving alcoholism, suicide, and lingering grief  • boundaries as protection versus avoidance as a life limiter  • nature metaphors for resilience, regrowth, and gradual strengthening  If you have thoughts about this, I would love to hear. There’s a link in the show notes where you can actually text me, or you can always email nsvpodcast at gmail.com. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/support] Learn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE [https://maryrothwell.net/natureknowsbook]. Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at NSVpodcast@gmail.com.  Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingviolets Follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550550204259&mibextid=LQQJ4d]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/maryrothwell_lpc?igsh=MWR1ZmgzYXBucGU1dQ==], and check out my website [https://maryrothwell.net/]!

Comedy As Power: Gender and Trauma through the Lens of Humor

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/fan_mail/new] When a woman makes people laugh, she is doing more than entertaining the room. She is taking up space, steering attention, and quietly testing the rules of what society says is “acceptable” for women to do, say, and even feel. Mary traces her own path from being the smart, introverted kid to using self-deprecating humor as a kind of social armor, then asks what happens when we stop shrinking and start using humor on purpose. Guest Lynn Harris, founder and CEO of Gold Comedy, award-winning journalist, and culture-shifting producer whose humor-forward advocacy has helped move conversations on gender equity and social justice. Lynn shares a teen flashbulb moment that exposed a brutal truth: boys could be sloppy and get applause, while girls would get eye rolls. From there, we dig into why women are still asked to “prove women are funny,” why comedy clubs treat “one woman on the lineup” as diversity, and how bias makes the entire industry worse for audiences and performers. We also get practical and personal about the craft. Lynn makes the case that funny can be taught, that there are many styles of humor, and that improv is a powerful way to build confidence and flexibility. Then we go to the deeper edge: joking about grief, trauma, and tough topics. We talk about “too soon,” how to aim the joke at power or culture instead of victims, and how humor can create enough distance for healing without minimizing pain. If you care about women in comedy, resilience, trauma recovery, and the real power of laughter, listen, share with a friend, and leave a review. You can find Gold Comedy HERE [https://goldcomedy.com/] https://goldcomedy.com You can find Lynn HERE [https://www.lynnharris.net/] https://www.lynnharris.net/ Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2426477/support] Learn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE [https://maryrothwell.net/natureknowsbook]. Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at NSVpodcast@gmail.com.  Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingviolets Follow me on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550550204259&mibextid=LQQJ4d]and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/maryrothwell_lpc?igsh=MWR1ZmgzYXBucGU1dQ==], and check out my website [https://maryrothwell.net/]!