Desperately Seeking Self

Whether you are a mom struggling with drinking, a mom who has chosen sobriety and recovery, or a woman struggling with your parents addiction this episode is for you! Today I interviewed my daughter Gabriella live. I am so proud of her for sharing a little glimpse of her experience and also for her bravery and willingness to help any kid out there dealing with parents and addiction know they are not alone. Being Sober is the best gift I have given myself and my children and that became even more clear during this interview.. I'm so thankful I chose recovery when she was 6. She is a kid of 2 parents who struggle with addiction, not uncommon, but 1 parent has had continuous sobriety and the other has struggled for years. I am honored to be her mom and continue to learn from her everyday! "I think, the main thing is always to be open with your feelings, even if you share them to a pet get them out" "Anxiety that turned to physical symptoms, That's what I have dealt with and I guarantee what every other kid of an addict feels" "It was hard learning there is nothing that you do or say or don't do or say that will change your parents choice to drink, that's their choice" Want more episodes like today? Or have a topic you'd like me to cover? Comment here or send me a DM on IG @brooke.collins.coaching

Today you’ll hear my live zoom call with some ladies in a group coaching program working on recovery. Here are some takeaways; •We have the choice to choose recovery or not •you’re only as sick as your secrets • The Freedom of Serenity Questions to ask yourself: • I drink because? Or I eat because? • what will changing my relationship with alcohol look like? • Am I being honest with myself? With others? Your actions are always louder than your reasons for what you are doing. Let’s stay in today and choose not to drink today, choose not to shake yourself today, choose to love ourselves today.

“Jump off the shame train,” says Brooke Collins in this solo episode on her new line of work as a recovery coach for women. In this episode, she is talking about how the pandemic has opened up a whole new need for recovery coaches, especially for women. At the beginning of last year, many women found themselves face-to-face with problem drinking. With nothing to distract from problem behaviors, so many people realized just how much addiction influences their lives. Brooke talked to dozens of women, who described themselves as “broken,” “defective,” and “stuck” because of their addictions -- and she decided she wanted to do something about it. Tune in this week to hear more about Brooke’s pivot toward sober and sober-curious content for ladies who want to stop feeling ashamed, and start feeling empowered in their relationship with alcohol and other addictive behaviors. Quotes “Here’s the bottom line: we all are recovering from something.” “If any aspect of your drinking has felt out of control, or you’re ashamed of things that you’ve done, let’s start addressing and looking at your relationship with alcohol. There’s nothing wrong with that.” (7:58-8:11) Links Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @brooke.collins.coaching FB: Innovative Coach Brooke Website: http://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com (www.Innovativecoachbrooke.com) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/

Jessa Lin’s story started with trauma and drama. Growing up, she experienced both physical and mental abuse from her parents, which caused her to spend a lot of time trying to be small. Throughout her 20s, Jessa dealt with her childhood trauma in unhealthy ways, from partying to eating disorders to continually burying her hurt and suffering. It took her being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, losing several close friends, and feeling utterly drained for her to realize that she had lost her sense of identity. At a friend’s suggestion, Jessa tried yoga as a healthier method of coping and truly felt her body for the first time in three years. This started Jessa on a journey towards self-awareness, radical responsibility, and all-encompassing self-love. Now, Jessa is an expert in helping women reclaim their sovereignty, expand their consciousness, and step into their truest selves. Her passion and mission is to help others not just survive, but thrive; to love, embrace, and embody all that they are. She is an embodied healer, intuitive channeler, mentor and guide who works to support women as they remember their worth and the unique value of their existence; to help them to tap into, and harness, their soul gifts and offer their fullness to life. Through a combination of her own unique gifts, intuitive channeling, and trauma-informed subconscious reprogramming she helps her clients clear their minds and get fully aligned. Tune into this week’s episode of Desperately Seeking Self for an enlightening conversation between Jessa Lin and host Brooke Collins about healing core wounds, setting effective boundaries, and building up self-confidence. Jessa’s honesty, articulateness, and authenticity will empower you to begin examining your own experiences, discovering your own “why,” and taking the self-ownership you need to create lasting change in your life. As Jessa explains, the best healing takes place as a collective experience, and this episode is a wonderful way to start. Quotes “My upbringing really had a lot of physical, emotional and mental abuse from both my mother and my father. And it really kind of left me thinking that nowhere is safe, that me being who I am, me being a vivacious, precocious, wild, loud, always-dirty-from-being-in-nature child was somehow bad or wrong because I was physically hurt often.” (1:51-2:25) “When it comes to trauma and healing it, it first of all takes this acknowledgement that trauma happens to all of us. All of us. Every single person has had a traumatic experience, whether it is a physical abuse...or some sort of traumatic loss or if it’s just that bully in the playground. It doesn’t matter. It is all trauma. It all matters. And every single person has the right to heal whatever it is that has caused them trauma, pain and suffering.” (10:24-11:04) “I went to that yoga class. I cried for the first time in three years. I felt my body for the first time in three years. And it was like BOOM – the second I started feeling my body, talking to my body, understanding what it was holding, what it was carrying...I started releasing and starting to let go and starting to untangle myself from the wounds that I had inherited, been born into, and was starting to perpetuate and continue on.” (18:47-19:18) “So when you get to your ‘why,’ that is your beacon. That is really how you set boundaries is understanding your why behind something...and allowing that to be your beacon.” (25:12-25:27) “Stuff is going to happen outside of us. The only thing that you can really take ownership and responsibility for is how you show up, how you react, and the energy, the love, the whatever it is that you bring. That’s it.” (28:48-29:04) “The most important relationship you will ever have is the relationship you have with yourself….You get to be your number one priority mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually and energetically. You get to choose yourself, and committing to you is one of the things...

For a long time, Ruth Hultquist equated the word “acceptance” with giving up. However, after experiencing a mental health crisis five years ago and participating in an 8-week mindfulness course, she began to change her perspective. Ruth’s mental health journey helped her realize that she wasn’t giving herself enough credit for all of the things she was getting right. She now equates acceptance with self-love, and acknowledges that it is only by loving her full and authentic self that she can show true love to others. Ruth’s mental health journey also inspired her to leave medication behind and discover more holistic therapeutic coping skills. She began drawing to express her emotions, and these doodles ultimately led her to create her own well-being brand, Roo Betty. Roo Betty is essentially a cartoon version of Ruth herself, providing a sounding board with whom Ruth can reflect on her own life experiences and give herself advice. Ruth explains to listeners that, most of the time, you don’t need to look further than yourself to create meaningful change in your life because you know best what you want and need. Her work empowers others to turn inwards to find genuine self-love. Tune into this week’s episode of Desperately Seeking Self for an engaging, humorous, and poignant conversation between Ruth and host Brooke Collins. Learn about the misconceptions surrounding meditation and manifestation, the frustrations of parenting during the pandemic, and why Ruth feels as though she never really became a grown-up (a feeling that we can probably all relate to on some level). Ruth’s whimsical and free-spirited approach to https://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com/wellness-downloads (self-care and whole-body wellness) is refreshing in this age of deadlines, expectations, and self-doubt. Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows….and Ruth helps us recognize that that is ok. Quotes “[Roo Betty] just says it how it is. Just cut the crap, say it how it is...there’s no glory in it being beautiful….You don’t really need to look further than yourself, and that’s where the brand comes from.” (3:11-4:00) “Life is messy. It’s messy. And for a long time I drove myself crazy wanting it to look perfect, wanting these spiritual awakenings to look perfect, and trying to control all of that. And, it’s like, that’s not what it looks like for anybody.” (15:43-16:00) “I want to be on the periphery of the problem. Close enough that I can see the problem, but not so wrapped up in the problem that I’m stuck in the problem.” (21:06-21:17) “On the days you cannot ground, get back into your bed.” (23:33-23:36) “Meditation is anything you want it to be...It’s any moment where you know that you are at one with your body and your movement and your breath. And you’re just there.” (34:30-34:47) “Part of being a good parent is saying, ‘I fucked up….I’m sorry that I did that.’” (40:18-40:23) “On the good days, pat yourself on the back and go, ‘Yeah go me, I’m getting there.’ And on the days that you’re not feeling like that, ‘Go me, I’m getting there, but in my own sweet time.’” (54:37-54:47) Links: http://www.roobetty.com (www.roobetty.com) IG: @roo_betty FB: @RooBettyOfficial Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @brooke.collins.coaching FB: Innovative Coach Brooke Website: http://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com (www.Innovativecoachbrooke.com) Free Breakthrough Session: https://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com/life-coach-free-consultation (https://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com/life-coach-free-consultation) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do...

Five or six years ago, Sara Kubica was facing a crisis. Every day she woke up thinking: “I have everything, but I’m not happy.” In this episode of Desperately Seeking Self, Brook and her long-time friend talk about the power of looking beyond your external markers of success and finding what makes you truly happy -- and what behaviors just aren’t serving you anymore. Unlike some stories about making big change, Sara didn’t have any “obvious” problems. She just wasn’t satisfied with her life - and that was enough for her to start working on herself. Sara shares the story of making the decision to have an amicable divorce, losing weight by taking control and learning how to love herself, and actively ending her habit of comparing herself to other women. Throughout her journey, Sara realized that so many of the behaviors she was holding onto were remnants of the past, when she was teased, or felt guilty or ashamed. Now, she says “Shame doesn’t live in this house.” When she comes up against shame and guilt now, she feels those feelings for a minute, and then she lets them go. Tune in this week to hear Brooke talk with an old friend about the power of ending useless comparison, stopping shame in its tracks, and learning to love ourselves and work for what we really want. Quotes “When you’ve got evidence that you can do hard things, then you just keep going.” (6:40) “Stuff still comes up for us, right? Despite all of the work and the healing and the coaching that we do. It’s normal. It’s gonna come up. But it’s how you handle it.” (19:38-19:50) Links: Sara-Kubica.com IG: Instagram.com/Sara.Kubica/ Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @brooke.collins.coaching FB: Innovative Coach Brooke Website: http://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com (www.Innovativecoachbrooke.com) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/

For Annabel Stewart, changing our relationship with alcohol is one big adventure. Annabel is an Australia-based alcohol reset coach who caters to “women who adventure.” Her mantra of sobriety is one that many of us need to hear -- that not drinking isn’t going to make your life boring. It will actually make it more fun. In this episode of Desperately Seeking Self, Brooke is talking with Annabel about her online course, her unique approach to sobriety coaching, and her own story of grey-area drinking. As an alcohol recovery coach, Annabel is also knowledgeable about the physiological and psychological reasons we drink -- and she dives deep into that subject, so we can better understand why we are craving that glass of wine at 5 o’clock. Listen in to hear some of Annabel’s actionable tips for the sober curious, and to re-examine what it means to be sober - it might be different than you think. Quotes “Sobriety delivers what alcohol promises.” “I like the analogy of thinking about being alcohol as it's like rehearsing for a play. You are up there on your own and you rehearse. And there’s a little while where you are up there and you are trying it and you are going further each time. And there’s people that can help you, and direct you, but you’ve still gotta do the work on your own. (21:21-21:40) Links Bio: Annabel is an Aussie mum who used to live for wine o’clock, and hated herself for it. She was trapped in the secret drinker’s cycle of guilt and shame for years, convinced she was broken inside. She finally worked out how to get free from drinking and found that her life didn’t get smaller and greyer as she had been dreading, but rather exploded in happiness and balance and colour. When she confessed all on her social media, she was inundated with requests for help from other women in exactly the same boat. Now she dedicates her time to helping Grey Area Drinkers change their relationship with alcohol and live their truest, most authentic lives. https://www.annabelstewart.com.au/ (https://www.annabelstewart.com.au/) Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @brooke.collins.coaching FB: Innovative Coach Brooke Website: http://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com (www.Innovativecoachbrooke.com) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service

“There are so many options for people who don’t drink today,” says host Brooke Collins. In this episode of Desperately Seeking Self, Brooke is flying solo to chat about how to break up with alcohol and power through the judgement that many sober people face when they say they don’t drink. Brooke shares TONS of tips and spaces where you can find community in this episode, from sober hashtags on Instagram to zero-proof bars to recovery blogs and podcasts. These resources aren’t just for people who identify as alcoholics; they can also be for grey area drinkers, people who don’t like how alcohol makes their bodies feel, or people who just want to see what a sober lifestyle feels like. If you are sober-curious (or just plain sober!) and looking for community, look no further. Tune in this week for Brooke’s pep talk for anyone who is still looking for their non-drinking tribe. Quotes “There are so many options for people who don’t drink today.” “Our society really, really romanticizes, glamorizes, and indoctrinates you into thinking that alcohol is the thread that pulls everyone together.” (15:27-15:41) Links http://sherecovers.org/ (Sherecovers.org) https://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com/ (https://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com/) Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) FB: Innovative Coach Brooke IG: @brooke.collins.coaching Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/

“I wanted to move forward, not backward,” says Jane Enright, author of the book Butter Side Up and founder of MySuperAwesomeLife.Com. By anyone’s standards, Jane had a terrible year in 2017. In twelve months, she had a traumatic brain injury that impacted her hearing and speech, her fiance got into a terrible car accident, completely lost his memory and spent 76 days in the hospital, and she lost a life-long friend to pancreatic cancer only three weeks after her diagnosis. In the whirlwind of so much pain and change, Jane made a decision. She wanted a super awesome life. In her book, Jane talks about how to create happiness in your life - and it starts with accepting change. She talks with host Brooke Collins about the power of self-love on hard days, and how to use change as an opportunity to take an inventory of your life and move toward what brings you joy. At the root of her philosophy to a butter side-up life is accepting that change happens, and we have very little control of anything that goes on outside our own heads. But with the right mindset and the ability to move forward into positivity and not backward into those “coulda/shoulda/woulda” thoughts, we all have the power to live amazing lives. In an era when all our lives have been uprooted by unplanned change, you are going to want to tune into this episode about what it means to live butter side up. Quotes “I wanted to move forward, not backward.” “As we go through changes in our life, our friends change as well. And sometimes those friends can be good for us, and sometimes those support systems are not so good for us. There’s lots of people who have to say goodbye to a partner, or an addiction, or a friend, or a family member in order to heal and move forward.” (10:58-11:22) Links janeenrightauthor.com mysuperawesomelife.com Facebook: @janeenright20 Instagram: @janeenright20 Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @innovativecoachbrooke FB: Innovative Coach Brooke http://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com (www.Innovativecoachbrooke.co) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/

“Everything that we do is in service of ourselves,” says Katy Chryst, health coach and body image expert. In this episode, Katy talks with host Brooke Collins about her coaching work, which is rooted in the idea that poor body image makes it nearly impossible for us to have consistent, healthy habits. Katy’s research is focused on developing functional motivation; motivation that stems from us feeling better, enjoying our activities, and having more energy. The opposite of that is, of course, motivation rooted in shame or self-hatred -- which many women especially rely on to exercise often and eat well. But studies show consistently that shame and self-hate aren’t sustainable ways to motivate ourselves -- and that we actually feel better and lose more weight when we enjoy what we’re doing, because we aren’t as stressed out. Katy and Brooke talk about shame, self-love, and how to reframe from why do I look like this to how is this serving me in this inspiring episode of Desperately Seeking Self. Quotes: “How does what you feel about your specific body type influence what you think you can and can’t do?” (0:32-0:39) “You have to do deeper work than just counting the calories. You have to have an understanding of okay, why do I feel this way about my body? What am I doing to self-sabotage myself, which is another story in itself. And understand, really, how do I get my motivation to be consistent. Because consistency is what we want, not counting calories.” (14:36-15:02) Links: https://katychryst.mykajabi.com/how-to-lose-weight-when-diets-dont-work (https://katychryst.mykajabi.com/how-to-lose-weight-when-diets-dont-work) https://katychryst.mykajabi.com/ (https://katychryst.mykajabi.com/) https://instagram.com/katychryst?igshid=nmh9t0sfmdao (https://instagram.com/katychryst?igshid=nmh9t0sfmdao) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

“We as women hold ourselves hostage with our self-conscious thoughts,” says Brooke Collins in this solo episode on how self-consciousness is holding us back. For Brooke, this topic is a sad one, because so often we are missing out on all the amazing, limitless possibilities of life because we are terrified of judgement - from how we look in that dress or bathing suit to what our coworkers think if we step outside the box. For so many women, self-consciousness is learned. We watch our mothers and sisters and aunts and grandmothers judge their bodies, and we learn to judge our bodies too. But what if instead of hiding all our so-called flaws from the world, we embraced them? What if we talked to other women about our vulnerabilities and built a community on that -- not on filtered photos and glorified weekend plans and idealized relationships? In a world where influencers are at our disposal every second of every day, we have to fight a lot harder against our self-conscious thoughts. But it’s a worthy challenge -- because when we release our self-conscious thoughts, we become free. Tune in for this pep talk from Brooke, and as always check out the 21-day challenge and Facebook community in the show notes to keep the self-love going after this episode is over. . Quotes: “It’s really hard when you feel desperate to hide parts of yourself.” (6:57-7:03) “We should not be letting people dictate what and how we feel about ourselves.” (12:34-12:40) Links: Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @innovativecoachbrooke FB: Innovative Coach Brooke http://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com (www.Innovativecoachbrooke.co) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

“Your perceptions dictate your biology,” says Juliana Leamen, Nutritionist and Mind-Body Weight Release Expert. Juliana has a Masters degree in Science and is trained as a Holistic Nutritionist and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, and her mission is helping women over 40 balance their hormones and achieve sustained weight loss, which she calls weight release, by changing their mindset. In this episode of Desperately Seeking Self, Juliana talks about her SHE method, and how she helps women achieve weight release. At the foundation of her work is emotional wellness, and shifting away from the ingrained restrictions and fantasies of diet culture. As she tells Brooke, “Mindset is the gateway.” Without that piece, it’s almost impossible to achieve our health goals -- or we achieve them, and don’t feel any better. Tune in this week for a total reframe of what it means to live in a healthy body, as Juliana centers on joy and self-love, and inspires you to ditch diet culture for good. Quotes: “The body is designed to thrive, even at the later ages, but there's a lot of pre-work that needs to be done to make that transition joyous, and natural, and healthy.” (4:35-4:48) “For me, confidence is the acceptance of all pieces of you.” (28:03-28:08) Links: Weight Release Shift program = https://program.naturallyjoyous.ca/ Instagram = https://www.instagram.com/naturally.joyous/ Youtube = https://youtube.com/c/naturallyjoyous Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @innovativecoachbrooke FB: Innovative Coach Brooke http://www.innovativecoachbrooke.com (www.Innovativecoachbrooke.co) Join the 21 day challenge:https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ ( https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

In this episode of Desperately Seeking Self, host Brooke Collins joins us on her ninth sobriety birthday to talk about self-love and self-acceptance -- and how flexing that self-love muscle has shaped her life and allowed her to become who she is today. When she first started her sobriety journey, Brooke couldn’t look herself in the eye because she hated herself so much. And though she’s come a long way since then, Covid isolation has brought back many of those self-critical thoughts -- like binge-eating and punishing herself with exercise. For so many of us, these are familiar feelings. When we’re alone, it’s easier to fall into the trap of hating ourselves -- of saying, ”I’ll only be deserving of love when I lose weight, get a better job, make more money, find a partner,” and on and on and on. To combat her self-loathing, Brooke enlisted a friend in a 21 Day Confidence Challenge. It’s all about positive affirmations, and reminding ourselves each day how deserving we are of love. Or, as Brooke says: My acceptance of myself is really tied to the flexing of a muscle, and working on it.” If you are ready to work on loving yourself right now, just as you are, no strings attached, check out the free 21 Day Confidence Challenge. And tune in to this week’s episode for some affirmations, Bridget Jones Diary quotes, and a hearty dose of self-love. Quotes: “My acceptance of myself is really tied to the flexing of a muscle, and working on it.”(4:05-4:18) “We really define ourselves by who we believe we are, and what we believe we aren’t.” (5:33-5:41) Links: Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @innovativecoachbrooke FB: Innovative Coach Brooke Join the 21 day challenge: https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ (https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/ (Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing).

“I often talked about how I would carry my backpack of shame,” says Michelle Anhang, BA, PCC, CPCC, and Certified Life Coach. Michelle coaches individuals and families living with mental health challenges and moving forward after loss; she is also a motivational speaker who shares her story navigating stigma and shame after becoming widowed at age 34 when her husband died by suicide. In this episode of Desperately Seeking Self, Michelle shares what it was like to hide the fact of her husband’s suicide for ten years, and what it finally took to realize that she deserves more from her life than shame and guilt. As a single mother, Michelle didn’t believe that finding her own joy was part of her life. She tells Brooke: “I felt like my life wasn't supposed to be about what I want. It was really about how I’m taking care of everyone else, and filing whatever their voids are.” But after forty-five years of working a job she hated, struggling through toxic and emotionally abusive relationships that didn’t serve her, and refusing to look at the ways she was perpetuating her own pain, Michelle finally broke open. She went to tons of therapy to help her end the cycle of trauma, and now she helps other people suffering from mental illness, grief, trauma, and shame find their way out of the hole and into the light. Michelle’s message for listeners? Even if you don’t know what it’s going to look like, invest in fixing yourself. Acknowledging your own power, and refusing to accept toxicity in your life, is the first step. Quotes: “I felt like my life wasn't supposed to be about what I want. It was really about how I’m taking care of everyone else, and filing whatever their voids are.” (10:53-11:04) “I can fix me. I don’t know what it’s going to look like, but I know I have the power to do it.” (14:10-14:18) “I can take whatever comes my way, because I’m choosing not to accept toxicity anymore.” (36:30-36:38) Links: Website: https://www.michelleanhangcoaching.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelleanhangcoaching/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleanhangcoaching/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-anhang/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyEyNVr2CU9E40o41tERKbA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyEyNVr2CU9E40o41tERKbA) Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @innovativecoachbrooke FB: Innovative Coach Brooke Join the 21 day challenge: https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ (https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/ (Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing).

If you ask Jennifer Merian her secret to a happy life, she would tell you: “Gratitude and ingratitude don’t live in the same house.” On this episode of Desperately Seeking Self, host Brooke Collins talks with her friend and mentor about the people who finally taught her how to love herself -- and how, in the wake of an abusive marriage, she found the strength to look inside and demand more for her life. Jennifer and Brooke met in a 12-step program, and both found new lives in sobriety. But despite her success in the program, Jennifer felt for years like she was living a double life. She came home every night to an emotionally abusive husband who threatened and controlled her. Jennifer shares the myriad ways that other people taught her she was deserving of love, like the day fourteen women waited around the corner with a moving van to help her safely leave her abusive husband’s home. Jennifer’s message to listeners? “Do the work to love yourself. To care about yourself. To learn who you are and what you want.” Tune in this week for an incredible journey from shame and self-doubt to gratitude and healing -- all through the power of community and female friendship. Quotes: “My biggest message for anyone who does get out: do the work to love yourself, to care about yourself, to learn who you are and what you want.” (25:23-25:37) “Gratitude and ingratitude don’t live in the same house” (30:25-30:27) “One of these days they are gonna ask me for something. And you know what they asked me for? They asked me to love myself.” (36:53-36:58) Links: Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/ (https://www.facebook.com/groups/816711545453157/) IG: @innovativecoachbrooke FB: Innovative Coach Brooke Join the 21 day challenge: https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/ (https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/lclojjwhfcmyh6anyddp/) Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. https://meetfireside.com/podcast-production-service/ (Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing).