My Holistic Therapist

#46 The Regulated Woman - Part 3 of 3: Myth Busting Hacks

This is the final episode of the Regulated Woman mini-series with Dr. Carrie Rigoni. We've covered the physical symptoms of stress and trauma, we've gone deep on the vagus nerve - and in this episode, Carrie and I turn the clinical framework onto the wellness industry itself. We work through some of the most widely circulated interventions you'll see on social media - breathwork, meditation, high-intensity exercise, supplements, tracking devices, and give you an honest picture of what the evidence actually shows, and more importantly, what it doesn't. The problem isn't the tools themselves. It's the way they're being sold, who they're being sold to, and what happens when someone with a sensitive or dysregulated nervous system applies them without clinical guidance. Carrie and I have both seen this in our practices, people who have tried every modality on the list and still don't feel well, or worse, feel less well than before they started. We get into why that happens and what it actually tells you about your nervous system. If you've ever found yourself chasing the next thing, rigidly locked into a wellness routine, or wondering why something that works for everyone else isn't working for you, this conversation is the clinical answer to that question. Dr. Carrie Rigoni Website [https://www.drcarrierigoni.com.au/services] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drcarrierigoni/?hl=en] Working with Alex Website [https://www.healforlifeprograms.com]

#45 The Regulated Woman - Part 2 of 3: The Vagus Nerve - What It Does and Why It Matters

In this conversation, chiropractor and applied kinesiologist Dr. Carrie Rigoni and I break down what the vagus nerve actually is, what it does, and why understanding it changes the way you think about your stress response. We cover why your body is processing threat faster than your conscious brain can keep up with, why a day off or a meditation won't shift a dysregulated baseline, and how your nervous system may have been shaped before you were even born. We also get into perimenopause - why women who have been pushing hard for decades arrive at this transition with so little capacity left - and why regulating the nervous system through body-based work and psychoeducation is what creates real and lasting change. Dr. Carrie Rigoni * Website [https://www.drcarrierigoni.com.au] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drcarrierigoni/] * Free Resource - Check Your Vagus Nerve [https://www.drcarrierigoni.com.au/vagus-nerve-checklist-adults] Ready to Work With Me? * The HEAL Method [https://www.healforlifeprograms.com]

#44 The Regulated Woman - Part 1 of 3: The Physical Symptoms of Stress and Trauma, and Why They Are Missed

In this first episode of a three-part mini series, I am joined by Dr Carrie Rigoni - chiropractor, applied kinesiologist, and vagus nerve educator - for a conversation that many women will recognise immediately. If you have been through the medical system, had every test run, and been told everything looks normal - yet you still don't feel physically well - this episode speaks directly to that experience. We explore why the physical symptoms of stress and trauma are so consistently missed, and what is actually happening in the body when they appear. We reflect on how body-based and psychotherapeutic approaches work together, and why the order of healing matters more than most people realise. This includes an honest conversation about what it looks like for perimenopausal women who are people-pleasing, over-functioning, and running on a nervous system that has been quietly dysregulated long before midlife arrived. This is clinical, grounded, and practical - a conversation about why the body keeps the score, and how to start working with it rather than around it. Links and resources mentioned in this episode: Download Carrie's free Vagus Nerve Guide [https://www.drcarrierigoni.com.au/vagus-nerve-checklist-adults] Follow Dr Carrie Rigoni on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/drcarrierigoni/] Follow The HEAL Method [https://www.healforlifeprograms.com]

#43 Why You Still Feel Overwhelmed (Even After Doing Everything Right)

In this episode, I explore one of the most common patterns I see in my work with women in midlife - feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and disconnected despite doing all the “right” things. Many of the women I work with have already done therapy, developed insight, and understand their patterns. And yet, the way they feel hasn’t shifted in a meaningful or lasting way. In this episode, I unpack why that happens. I introduce the concept of a bottom-up approach to healing, and explain why your nervous system - not your thoughts - is often determining how you experience your life. While thoughts do play a role, the body is sending far more information to the brain than the brain can send back down, which is why trying to think your way out of overwhelm often falls short. I also explore why this becomes more pronounced in perimenopause and midlife, and what it actually means to begin working with your body rather than against it. If you’ve been feeling stuck, despite your self-awareness and effort, this episode will help you understand what may be missing. Connect with me: Website: https://www.myholistictherapist.com [https://www.healforlifeprograms.com] Newsletter: https://www.myholistictherapist.com/newsletter [https://www.healforlifeprograms.com/newsletter] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myholistictherapist [https://www.instagram.com/my.holistic.therapist/]

#42 Estrangement to Connection: How I Changed My Family Dynamic

In this episode, I build on last week’s conversation around adult child estrangement and explore what we need as parents to do different if we want to have a healthy relationship with our children, and what it looks like to consciously create a healthier relationship within your own family. I share my personal experience of becoming a parent before I had done any therapeutic work, and how my understanding of relationships, emotional maturity, and nervous system regulation evolved over time. This is not about getting parenting “right,” but about course-correcting and becoming more intentional in how we show up. I also unpack five key psychological foundations that underpin healthy parent - child relationships, including emotional safety, repair after rupture, attunement, modelling regulation, and allowing autonomy. These are not techniques, but relational conditions that shape how children develop, and ultimately how they relate in adulthood. This episode is both personal and grounded in developmental psychology, offering insight into how generational patterns can be interrupted and how connection can be built in a way that lasts. Connect with me: Website: https://www.myholistictherapist.com [https://www.healforlifeprograms.com] Newsletter: https://www.myholistictherapist.com/newsletter [https://www.healforlifeprograms.com/newsletter] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myholistictherapist [https://www.instagram.com/my.holistic.therapist/]