Sensitive & Self-Assured | Confidence | Set Boundaries | Self-acceptance | Find Your Purpose | Self-esteem

65 | A New Way to Think About Your Sensitive Mind - with Tricia Veldman - Part 2

In Part 2 of my conversation with Trisha Veldman, we pick up where we left off and move into some of the most thought-provoking territory of the entire conversation. We discuss being the movie star of your own life, what it truly means to be powerful and poised, and a perspective on creativity and overthinking that I genuinely have not been able to stop thinking about since we recorded. In this episode we cover: * The story behind Powerful and Poised and why Trisha believes sensitivity and confidence were never opposites * What it means to be the "movie star of your own life" and how that shift in perspective can free you from the exhausting cycle of self-consciousness * Why people are wired for creative expression and the fascinating prehistoric research that backs it up * The game-changing insight that your rumination and overthinking are actually creative energy in disguise Connect with Tricia: * Trisha's website: powerfulandpoised.com [http://powerfulandpoised.com] * Instagram: @powerfulandpoised [https://www.instagram.com/powerfulandpoised] * YouTube: @powerfulandpoised [https://www.youtube.com/@powerfulandpoised] * TikTok: @powerfulpoised [https://www.tiktok.com/@powerfulpoised] * Book: Create and Receive, Make and Believe by Patti the Poetess Trisha's HSP Poem: Don't miss the final minutes of this episode where Trisha performs an original spoken word poem that captures what it feels like to live as a highly sensitive person. It is raw, rhythmic, and incredibly relatable. It might just be the thing you didn't know you needed to hear today.

64 | A New Way to Think About Your Sensitive Mind - with Tricia Veldman - Part 1

Have you ever felt like your sensitivity was something to apologize for? Like you owed the world an explanation every time you needed to leave early, skip the late night out, or take fewer clients than your colleagues? If so, this episode is for you. In Part 1, I sit down with Trisha Veldman, confidence coach, spoken word poet, TEDx speaker, and founder of Powerful and Poised, for an honest and deeply relatable conversation about what it really means to be a highly sensitive woman navigating life, relationships, and a career in the spotlight. In this episode we cover: * What it was like for Trisha to discover she was a highly sensitive person and why that moment was so liberating * The unique challenges of being a performer with a sensitive nervous system  * Why highly sensitive people tend to over-explain and apologize, and how to stop * The power of knowing your limits and owning them unapologetically Connect with Tricia: * Trisha's website: powerfulandpoised.com [http://powerfulandpoised.com] * Instagram: @powerfulandpoised [https://www.instagram.com/powerfulandpoised] * YouTube: @powerfulandpoised [https://www.youtube.com/@powerfulandpoised] * TikTok: @powerfulpoised [https://www.tiktok.com/@powerfulpoised] * Book: Create and Receive, Make and Believe by Patti the Poetess Coming up in Part 2: If you thought this conversation was good, just wait. In Part 2, Trisha shares the story behind the Powerful and Poised brand, what it really means to be both strong and sensitive at the same time, and one insight about your ruminating mind that genuinely stopped me in my tracks. It's one of my favorite moments I've ever had on this podcast and I don't want you to miss it.

63 | The Healing Power of Seeing Yourself: A Boudoir Journey to Self-Love - with Vanessa Isenbarger

What if the most radical thing you could do for yourself was simply allow yourself to be seen? In this deeply personal and inspiring episode, I sit down with boudoir photographer Vanessa Isenbarger, a woman whose lens has transformed the way countless women see themselves. With over 15 years behind the camera, Vanessa has built more than a photography business. She has created a sacred space where women walk in carrying their fears, their doubts, and their "not yet" excuses, and walk out seeing themselves for the breathtaking, powerful women they truly are. This conversation is one I have been holding close to my heart, because this year, in honor of turning 47 and celebrating the life of my grandmother, I finally did the thing I had been putting off for nearly seven years. I booked my boudoir shoot. And Vanessa was the one behind the camera. Together we talk about: * Why the "right time" is whenever you feel the pull * The fear almost every woman carries walking into a shoot and what happens when she sees her photos * How boudoir photography is about so much more than beautiful images * The beliefs we carry that were never ours to begin with and how to choose new ones on purpose * Why the thing that just won't go away deserves your attention Vanessa's journey into boudoir began at her own lowest point, when she turned the camera on herself and discovered something unexpected. That vulnerability became her driving force, and now is the foundation of every session she shoots. This episode is a love letter to every woman who has skipped the party, avoided the photo, or waited until "someday" to take up space. Your someday is now. Connect with Vanessa: boudoirbypearl.com [http://boudoirbypearl.com] | @PearlFineArtStudios [https://www.instagram.com/pearlfineartstudios/] (public) | @PearlFineArtBoudoir [https://www.instagram.com/pearlfineartboudoir/] (women only, private)  Connect with Allyssya: info@allyssya.coach [info@allyssya.coach] | @lifecoach_allyssya [https://www.instagram.com/lifecoach_allyssya/] | Allyssya Gossett Coaching [https://www.facebook.com/lifecoachallyssya] If this episode moved you, share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it. And if you have been sitting on your own "someday," consider this your sign.

62 | The Other Side of Hard

Last week we talked about the discomfort of speaking up for what you want and need. This week, we're continuing that conversation because speaking up is a hard thing. And hard things? Sometimes we avoid them because we think it’s easier, but the truth is the easy route costs us more than we realize. On May 2, 2026, I crossed the finish line of a half-marathon that has lived on my goal list for nearly 30 years. And when my friend texted me and said, "You know you could drive that distance faster, right?" She wasn't wrong. But that's exactly the point. In this episode, I'm getting honest about the times I signed up and didn't follow through, the physical limitations and setbacks that made training anything but glamorous, and what it actually felt like to finally do the thing I kept not doing. I'm also sharing a recent conversation with a client who went to the dentist and why that dentist appointment changed how she sees herself. Every hard thing you do becomes evidence. Evidence that you are capable, that you can tolerate discomfort, that you can show up for yourself. That evidence is what self-assurance is actually built on. Not confidence that everything will go well, but trust in yourself when it doesn't. We also talk about something I think gets missed in conversations like this: the difference between forcing yourself to do something that is wrong for you, and pushing yourself to do something that is simply hard. Those are not the same thing, and that distinction matters. In this episode: * Why the easy route isn't actually free and what it quietly costs you over time * The difference between hard and wrong (and why getting this right changes everything) * How to start building your own evidence file and why most people never do If something in this episode resonates, I'd love to work with you. Click the link below to schedule a free 1:1 consultation and let's figure out what hard things are worth doing and what's been holding you back. 🗓️ Schedule your free consultation [https://calendar.google.com/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2CAFj5I45J8l_lQwmF7wGPwGRI-6o732eUEz-YEvoOQwdO2l3C7hjP3aUUxWiSH5y6DCPemxyB] You were never meant to abandon yourself to get through life. You were meant to live it sensitive and self-assured.

From The Highly Sensitive Woman to Sensitive & Self-Assured: Why I Changed the Name of My Podcast

In this short but intentional episode, I'm walking you through the thought process behind changing the name of this podcast from The Highly Sensitive Woman to Sensitive & Self-Assured, and why this shift feels more honest about where we've always been headed. The original name served its season. But over time, I found myself wanting to lead with a destination rather than a label. So many of us have spent our whole lives being defined by our sensitivity, and I didn't want to add to that. I also share why I've moved away from the "sensitivity as a superpower" framing that's popular in this space. Not because there isn't beauty in reclaiming something we've been criticized for, but because putting sensitivity on a pedestal can create just as much pressure as treating it as something that needs to be fixed. For me, sensitivity is neutral. It's simply a trait, not a badge or a burden. What I am passionate about is the power of AND. You don't have to resolve your sensitivity before you're allowed to feel grounded, steady, or sure of yourself. You can be sensitive and self-assured at the same time, right now, as you are. This isn't a rebrand. It's a more honest name for the work we're doing together.