Sex Birth Trauma with Kimberly Ann Johnson

In this episode, Kimberly and Katie discuss Katie's work as a somatic therapist, intuitive guide, and healer. She explains how she came to her craniosacral and healing work as a young child. She discusses chakras as the portals between our nervous systems and our spiritual connection, as well as the importance of grounding, alignment, and the heart space. They discuss heartbreak and grief as utterly human, and how the internet serves as the nervous system for the collective. Katie offers hope for maintaining our connection, regulation, and containment during difficult times. Bio Katie Dove is a somatic therapist, intuitive guide, healer, and mystic with over two decades of experience working with individuals and groups. She is a keeper of ancient wisdom, exploring new paths for the preservation of human nature through connection to mother nature. Her methods weave a mixture of experiences she has collected over time, modalities she has personally cultivated, and extensive studies in transpersonal psychology and craniosacral therapy. With exploration in voice, touch, sound, and movement, she guides her clients and students to investigate habits, freedom of choice, expressiveness, and the wealth of sensory information within and around them. What She Shares: –Katie's journey as a healing practitioner –Chakras as nervous system regulators –Grounding, aligning, and vulnerability –Internet as a collective nervous system –Mothering from the heart space –Upcoming in person and online classes What You'll Hear: –Initiation into healing journey at three years old –Felt light sensation passing through sister's body into own hands –Raised Catholic and trying to make senses of experiences –Developed ability to sense into the body –Experienced trauma and initiation into shadow work –Mapping unseen terrain of the body, psyche, and soul –Began massage school and followed craniosacral teachers –A gift funneled through framework of somatic work –Holding circles and living principles of community –Psycho-structural balancing –Facilitating alignment with Source –Conscious relationship with Source through somatic and transpersonal psychology –Chakras as intermediary between nervous system to ethereal –Flow state as full relationship and trust to that which moves us –Self-regulating and Source –Not living in heart is not living in relationship to Source –Grief as a portal to Source –Acknowledging the collective heart right now –Entering through the heart space instead of the mind –Develop our relationship to the Vertical –Grounding into Earth and finding individual pathway to the Vertical –Myth of aloneness causing devastation –Source regulation means being in our power –Deeply rooted vertically to connect horizontally to world around us –Chakras supported by consistent, vertical rooting –Nervous system can remain grounded –Spiritual bypassing occurs with no substance or rootedness –Cannot bypass our own hearts and connection to One Heart –Better to have broken heart than an uninhabited heart –Brokenheartedness makes us humble, curious, and driven –Experiencing heartbreak when becoming pregnant –Gift of expansion through motherhood –Connection to the planet is connection to the Greater Heart –Stewarding our bodies and Mother Nature –Internet as a collective nervous system –Turning to internet as a responsibility to coregulate in online world –Grounding online world back vertically –Individualism is not goal at this edge of human evolution –Walking the edge is revolution –The unnegotiable open heart –ROLFing for the chakras class –Upcoming online classes on source regulation, grounding techniques, and containment Resources Website: https://www.katiedove.love/

In this episode, Kimberly interviews Donna Jackson Nakawaza about her latest book "Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media." Donna's book explains recent research behind the increase of significant mental health issues among girls and young women. Whereas neuroscience research only ever examined male brains and bodies, this book overviews recent research on females and how feelings of unsafety, threat, high expectations, and algorithms on social media heavily contribute to this increase. They unpack the ways in which the female brain stress responses are connected to immunity and overall well-being, as well as the myriad stressors young girls in particular face today. Last, they discuss strategies for parents to create a sense of connection, attunement, and safety with their children to mitigate these environmental and cultural stressors. Bio Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an award-winning journalist and internationally-recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and human emotion. Her mission is to translate emerging science in ways that help those with chronic conditions find healing. Her writing has been published in Wired, The Boston Globe, Stat, The Washington Post, Health Affairs, Aeon, More, Parenting, AARP Magazine, Glamour, and elsewhere. For her reporting on health-science, Donna received the AESKU lifetime achievement award and the National Health Information Award. She has appeared on The Today Show, National Public Radio, NBC News, and ABC News. Her latest book, "Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media" (Random House/Harmony, 2022) is available for order wherever books are sold. What She Shares: –Increasing rates of major depression in girls –Female biology as super-powers –Girls experiencing cognitive dissonance and perpetual unsafety –Social media impact on adolescence and maturity –Parenting strategies for connection, attunement, and safety What You'll Hear: –1 out of 3 girls exhibit major depression –Recent increasing rates of major depression in girls –Suffering from guilt, fatigue, unworthiness, hopelessness –Suicide rate rising 51% among girls –Only recently NIH requested neuroscience on female brains –Significant differences in way stress impacts female body and brain –Lack of research on trans and non-binary individuals –Need to hear and know science to galvanize change –Female sex differences used against women throughout history –Unmitigated chronic stress and sense of unsafety –X&Y chromosome differences regarding immunity –X chromosomes provide extra protection in placenta –Male babies more likely to have health issues –Vulnerability of immunity shifts with increasing estrogen during puberty –Estrogen master-regulator in body of neurons –Women 3-5x more likely to have auto-immune diseases –Estrogen evolutionary advantage but flips with stressors in environment –Social and emotional stress –Estrogen increases stress response versus testosterone –Girls born 1995 or later demonstrate major drop in mental health –Trends of social media algorithms connect to mental health decline –Social media mimicking tribes but generating negative activity and isolation –High activity and high emotion in social media –Social media activates dopamine (reward circuitry) repeatedly –High health-risk behaviors from other teens of images on social media –Big emotions overtime turns off 'be careful' filters for teens –Prioritizing deep connections with real world individuals vs. digital –Girls more likely to be criticized on social media for appearance –More sexualized increase of girls with social media –Over-medicating adolescents –Girls caught in a state of cognitive dissonance between gendered sexist messages –Lowering puberty ages throughout history –Removal of in-between years of maturity, growth, self-interests –Hierarchical valuative list of benchmarks for girls to achieve –How can girls develop senses of selves in this culture –Recreating connection, attachment, and bio-synchronicity with our children –Being grounded and regulated to offer sense of safety for our children –Brains rewiring before adolescence (used to happen later) –Brains remodel on sense of unsafety before puberty –Creating connection, mattering, and belonging that is bigger than the world –Children flourish in safety and connection with parents –Parents to talk less and listen more –Younger generation needs adult help more than ever to articulate feelings –Wondering aloud with our children to develop their interior selves Resources Website: https://donnajacksonnakazawa.com/ IG: @donnajacksonnakazawa And you can sign up for the upcoming MotherCircle Waiting List here: https://kimberlyannjohnson.com/mothercircle/

In this episode, Kimberly and Virginia discuss the astrological significance of this past decade and the decade to come. They discuss how the increase of technology impacts culture, our nervous systems, and the ways in which we understand and interact relationally. They discuss what it's like to be entrepreneurs who are creating content on social media, using discernment with social media use, and parenting during the increase of tech, AI, and social media. They also discuss how to return to our humanness, embodied practices for grounding, and finding ancestral practices that have stood the test of time. Bio Virginia Rosenberg is an Intuitive Astrologer and Movement Artist. Her passion is natural healing of self and society. Virginia believes that we are made to heal, and that healing is a matter of becoming more conscious of and connected to ourselves, each other, and the more-than-human-Worlds. She teaches astrology, qi gong, and various forms of dance, leading retreats, classes, and workshops. Her writings on astrology, spirituality, and society have gone viral and are used as teaching tools in meditation and study groups. Virginia has been interviewed and featured on numerous publications and podcasts. She is Resident Astrologer for the global Qoya movement. Her educational background includes post-colonial and women's/gender studies, cultural anthropology, journalism, documentary filmmaking, Taoist philosophy and internal martial arts, myriad forms of dance, spiritual alchemy, ritual, ceremony, and energy work. What She Shares: –Increase of tech –Upcoming planet shifts –Navigating humanness in social media –Astrological significance of next decade What You'll Hear: –Evolution of sharing on social media –Making social media less personal as an entrepreneur –Speaking to collective story through personal observations –Kimberly shares experience with social media and audience –Increase of focused technology in next decade –Pluto moving through Aquarius next year –AI and astrology –Making peace with artificial intelligence –Identifying reference points for relating with others –Existentialism and motherhood –Human connection with the increase of technology –Falling out of relevancy with culture –Changing currencies in upcoming reconfiguration of society –Our role in changing of society –Being more mindful and intentional around technology use –Our perception and relationship to what's happening with tech –Finding our center points –Parenting with increase of tech –Commenting on social media as knee-jerk reactions –Viewpoints outside of acceptable milieu –Absence of humanity in relating –How psychology on social media disrupts –Specific identities and tension of expectations to be for all identities –Understanding and teaching discernment –Times of high stakes –Using nervous systems and intuition as guides during these times –Planets that role and correspond with the nervous system –Collective versus individual nervous systems –Using location as a center-point –Movement as centering nervous system –Using martial arts and embodied meditation for centering and anchoring –Connecting across ideologies –Offering astrology calendar for upcoming year –Teaches depth-foundations training in astrology Resources Website: https://virginiarosenberg.com/ IG: @virginiarosenberg

In this episode, Kimberly and Heidi discuss all things astrological. Heidi shares how she came to her work in astrology, how she incorporates astrology into her mothering, and how we can all benefit from understanding our own signs and signs' energies. They discuss how embodiment connects to astrology, balancing motherhood with work and creative projects, as well as Heidi's upcoming book which can be accessed through her link below. Heidi even reads some of Kimberly's chart which connects to sex, power, and safety. Bio Heidi Rose Robbins has been a professional astrologer for 25 years, helping thousands of clients all over the globe live with more authenticity and clarity. She hosts two podcasts, THE RADIANCE PROJECT, featuring poetry, astrology, and good company, and CHART YOUR CAREER, with co-host Ellen Fondiler. Twice a year, she leads Radiant Life Retreats, for people wishing to take a deeper dive into her work. Heidi has written two books of poetry, This Beckoning Ceaseless Beauty and Wild Compassion, and has been a featured poet at two TedX events. She was also recently a guest on Glennon Doyle's You Can Do Hard Things podcast. Last year, her 12-book series The Zodiac Love Letters, was published by One Idea Press, and her new book, Everyday Radiance--based on her daily Instagram offerings--will be published by Chronicle in January. Heidi grew up in Fargo, North Dakota, learning the zodiac with her A,B, C's, and calls herself "a poet with a map of the heavens in her pocket." What She Shares: –Heidi's work with astrology + astrological embodiment Radiant Life retreats –Embracing the energies of our signs –Motherhood and astrology –New book called Everyday Radiance What You'll Hear: –Learning astrology from a young age –Background in theater contributes to workshops and retreats –Embodying signs and energies –Teachers including somatic backgrounds in trainings and workshops –Theater providing powerful embodied experience –Building community and holding space over time –Non-linear paths of healing and growth –Positive reparative experiences with embodiment –Ritual and embodiment –Rising sign as our gift to the world –Expanding and embracing the energies of our signs –Our charts as watercolors, messy and gorgeous –Kimberly's chart is read –Heidi's experience working with her father in astrology and art –Heidi's experience with Sofia Diaz –Role of spiritual teachers versus psychologist –Finding people with your rising sign as embodied teachers –Motherhood and astrology –Mothering as a way to encourage fullness of our children –Importance of children seeing mothers in our fullness –Importance of retreat time away from mothering –Kimberly's experiencing teaching yoga while mothering –Raising children with chosen family and community –Inner-conflicts around creating with children –Evolution of Heidi's creative process while mothering –New book coming Everyday Radiance as a daily astrological read –Book available for pre-order –Heidi reads poem of hers on father's death Resources Website: heidirose.com IG: @heidiroserobbins

In this episode, Kimberly and Ralph discuss commonalities between their work regarding somatics, psychotherapy, and spiritual traditions. Ralph describes his journey of seeking from mainstream religion to various spiritual traditions and how his time in rehab propelled his work in psychotherapy, teaching, and writing his books. In addition, he describes his journey regarding gender and sexuality and how that correlated with his neurodivergence. In addition, he describes Internal Family Systems, our four selves, and his niche work of combining psychotherapy and meditation. Towards the end of the conversation, they share their reactions to receiving negative reviews and the arduous process of writing and publishing a book. Bio Ralph is the author of two internationally published books about trauma recovery, meditation, and the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of psychotherapy. He is personally mentored by Richard Schwartz, founder and developer of IFS. He is a psychotherapist in private practice and a seasoned meditation teacher known for his radically open and humorous teaching style. His most recent book, Don't Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Freak Outs was named one of the "Best Books of 2020" by Mindful Magazine. What He Shares: –Ralph's journey with addiction, spiritual practice, + becoming a psychotherapist –Gender identity, sexuality, and neurodivergence –Multiple selves & Internal Family Systems –Nervous system responses to criticism What You'll Hear: –Evolution of his yoga practice –Raised Southern Baptist, experienced early childhood traumas, turned to Hare Krishnas –Experienced suicidal ideation until reading Ram Das –Traveled with Amma –Turned to spirituality as an attempt to continue high –Experience of drug addiction alongside spirituality –Encountered deep spiritual practice in rehabilitation center –Began mindfulness based practice through Buddhist teachers in 2005 –Began teaching meditation at yoga studio –Seeing the humanity of Buddhist practices –Also discovered psychotherapy in rehab –Healing traumas of previous wounding and insecure attachments –Sexuality journey of "neuroqueer" –Journey around gender and sexuality distinctly –Experienced violent bullying in high school because of gender –Embracing the term "genderqueer" –Influence from Bikini Kill and Riot grrrl –Internal Family Systems Therapy and parts work –Internal conflicts and internal dialogues –Multiplicity and multiple selves offers us map of our psyche –IFS and somatics and meditation- Ralph's niche –No one therapy heals all of us –Pandemic and upheaval of socio-political upheaval –Collective inability to metabolize impact of pandemic –Process of writing first book, dealing with lack of confidence –Confronting demonization of cognition (monkey mind) in spiritual circles –Experiences after publishing first books –Risks of writing and publishing –Reading bad reviews of work –Criticism triggering sympathetic nervous system responses –Shambala as an ethical publishing company –Protecting our own energy –Meditation, movement, breath work, diet, 80-20 lifestyle –Self energy in IFS have to be in compassion and holding space –Embracing all of life's experiences –Being effective for others through burnout –How the term "neuroqueer" connecting spectrums of queerness and neurodivergence –Labels as stigmatizing and liberating –Upcoming course on mindfulness, somatics, IFS, and more –"Unstuck How to Heal every part of you" starts Dec 2nd Resources Website: https://ralphdelarosa.com/ IG: @ralphdelarosa

In this episode, Kimberly talks with Elizabeth Marglin, Niki Dewart, co-authors of "The Wild and Sacred Feminine Deck," and Jenny Kostekci-Shaw, artist of the deck. They discuss how the deck came to fruition, its roots and connection to motherhood, and the publishing process of the deck. They also discuss the rich meaning behind wildness, the sacred feminine, and embodiment, as well as their individual creating processes while mothering. At the end of their episode, they pull a card for the collective with a powerful message of traversing through these difficult times. Bio Elizabeth Marglin, M.A. is the coauthor of The Mother's Wisdom Deck with Niki Dewart. Elizabeth is a journalist and writing coach who writes for publications such as Yoga Journal and Spirituality & Health. Marglin lives in Colorado. Niki Dewart writes books, designs sacred spaces, and leads rituals and retreats that nurture the feminine soul. Jenny Kostecki-Shaw is a national award-winning author and illustrator, a homesteader, and a mother. What They Share: –Motherhood and "The Wild and Sacred Feminine Deck" –Wild, Elemental, Archetypal and Divine suits in the deck –Wildness, embodiment, and Spirit –Creative processing while mothering –Reading of a card for the collective What You'll Hear: –The Wild and Sacred Feminine Deck –Wanting to create a deck for mothers –Publishing process with Shambhala –Expanding deck from mother's wisdom to all aspects of the feminine –Meaning behind the title "Wild and Sacred Feminine" –Decision on four suits and feminine within each –Wild, Elemental, Archetypal, and Divine –Jenny's process of artwork for the deck –Meaning behind 52 cards in the deck –Multicultural approach to card selection –Using ritual to create deck –Importance of Inanna –Elizabeth and Niki's reactions to Jenny's artwork –Embodying the Shapeshifter and fluidity –Incorporating the Wolf into the deck –Jenny surprised by her own artwork –Mothering and the creative process –Creating space away to write and create –Wanting to offer other mothers shorter readings –Creating the deck at the beginning of the pandemic –Weaving pandemic, spiritual life, and mothering into the deck –Jenny's creative process while mothering –Facing struggle trying to find art in early motherhood –Kimberly's process getting Fourth Trimester cards published –Writing the How to Use guide –Kimberly's use of decks –Using decks intermittently or frequently –Co-authoring the deck and collaborating with art –Building meaning through collaboration versus individually –Deck to bring us into soul wholeness –Message of embodiment and spirit to matter through the feminine –Drawing a card from "The Wild and Sacred Feminine" deck –Collective question around our relationship to the earth and traversing these times –Reading of the card Resources Website: https://www.shambhala.com/the-wild-and-sacred-feminine-deck.html

In this episode, Kimberly and Deborah discuss friendships, desire, and healthy attachments. Deborah explains her experience with having a large capacity for many friendships and how her clients often discuss issues around finding and keeping lasting friendships. They discuss how our original wounds seek out repair in patterns that often appear in friendships, as well as how the pandemic changed many relationships and friendships. Deborah debunks the myth that healing, love, and growth happen individually to assert that we are wired from birth for secure attachment, love, and attention. Friendship can be an opportunity to help us acknowledge past wounds, seek out ways for resolution, and grow as more whole and healed beings. Bio Deborah Clare Bragg is a somatic psychotherapist, yoga teacher, doula, and practitioner of feminine arts. She graduated from Naropa University with a masters in somatic psychotherapy. Alongside her therapy work, she teaches yoga at Love is Juniper and is hosting an upcoming Friendship Workshop which starts on November 17th and can be accessed through the link on the website below. In this episode, Kimberly and Deborah discuss friendships, desire, and healthy attachments. Deborah explains her experience with having a large capacity for many friendships and how her clients often discuss issues around finding and keeping lasting friendships. They discuss how our original wounds seek out repair in patterns that often appear in friendships, as well as how the pandemic changed many relationships and friendships. Deborah debunks the myth that healing, love, and growth happen individually to assert that we are wired from birth for secure attachment, love, and attention. Friendship can be an opportunity to help us acknowledge past wounds, seek out ways for resolution, and grow as more whole and healed beings. Bio Deborah Clare Bragg is a somatic psychotherapist, yoga teacher, doula, and practitioner of feminine arts. She graduated from Naropa University with a masters in somatic psychotherapy. Alongside her therapy work, she teaches yoga at Love is Juniper and is hosting an upcoming Friendship Workshop which starts on November 17th and can be accessed through the link on the website below. What She Shares: –Why it's hard for women to make friends –Tending to original wounds and repairs –Attachment styles in friendship –Impact of pandemic on friendship –Secure attachment and community –Deb's upcoming Friendship Workshop What You'll Hear: –Hesitancy around discussing friendship –Attending to previous ruptures in friendships from adolescence –Pains leading to narratives around female friendships –Knowing our capacity for friendship –Honoring desire and vulnerability –Making bids and invitations –Tolerance for rejection –Discerning when friendship is worth conflict or not –Patterns of conflict avoidance –Including and excluding –Alchemy variations in different groups –Different attachment styles in friendship –Repetition and compulsion –Original wounds searching for repair in patterns –Impact of pandemic on friendships –Experiencing major life changes and friendships –Debunking myth of loving self before loving others –Interconnection and healthy attachment –Feeling safe as children and in friendships –Sickness individualization –Picking community that reflect love and value –Taking stock of people in our lives –Breakout rooms and flight responses –Rejection and secure attachment –Friendship Workshop starts November 17th Resources Website: https://www.loveisjuniper.com/ IG: @loveisjuniper

In this episode, Kimberly welcomes back her daughter Cece to the podcast. Cece first appeared on the podcast in 2019 when she was in 6th grade. She shares what has changed in her and Kimberly's lives since then. Together, they discuss Cece's perspective on issues important to her peers and teenagers in general such as sex, intimacy, mental health, climate change, and more. Cece explains that much of her and her peer's frustrations are with older generations who cannot empathize with adolescence experiences today. Cece suggests for parents and older generations to provide specific information regarding these major issues to have non-defensive, open-hearted conversations. She also provides some comical tidbits of what it's like being Kimberly's daughter. Bio Cece, Kimberly's daughter, is a 15 year old biracial highschooler, who shares her perspectives on Kimberly as a mother, Kimberly's work on sex, birth, and trauma, and other important topics that her peers are discussing. She is a guitarist and has enjoyed playing in a band since she last appeared on the podcast. What She Shares: –Cece's evolution since her first podcast episode –Teens' perspectives on sex –Technology's influence on teen girls' mental health –Intergenerational conversations on complex issues, including climate change –Pandemic's impact on teens What You'll Hear: –Cece's first podcast episode in 2019 –Moved to NYC, Moved back to California, started high school –Cece's interest in guitar and writing music –Cece's perspective on having Kimberly as a mom –Parents discussing sex –Remaining neutral in conversations around sex with teenagers –Cece's experience of over-exposure of Kimberly's work –Teenage girls' perspectives on porn –Cece's friends turning to her for information on sex –Teens turning to social media for intimacy and dating –Rejecting labels of sexual identities –Social media impacting teen girls negatively –Social media and comparison –Teenage girls using social media to tear each other down –Experimenting with removing social media –Higher rates of depression and anxiety in teen girls –Disconnect of understanding from older generations to teens now –Generations without technology –Expressing anger towards older generations for contributing to climate change –Having difficult conversations without getting defensive –Adolescence during threats of nuclear warfare, climate change, artificial intelligence –Having specific conversations around complex issues –Feelings of impending doom culturally contributing to mental health issues –Accepting and enjoying solitude without spiraling –Cece's reaction to Kimberly's work with Stephen Jenkinson –Pandemic's impact on Cece and peers –People who didn't transition well back into socializing

In this episode, Kimberly and Ali discuss how food intersects with physiology and psychology. Specifically, they discuss how to identify our physical and emotional needs, how to send safety signals to our bodies, and how to unpack some of the deeper impacts of socialization and culture around eating and body image. Similar to our nervous system signals, our bodies and minds send signals when dealing with chronic stress and unconscious stories around our behaviors that often motivate our food choices. Ali works with women to help them unpack issues around diet culture, body image, and eating for satisfaction and nutrition. Bio Ali Shapiro is an MSOD, CHHC, holistic nutritionist, cancer survivor, and host of the podcast "Insatiable." Her work is at the intersection of physiology and psychology as she helps women unravel their relationships with body image, food, and movement in order to ultimately build a sense of safety and satisfaction. She offers the Truce with Food Coaching program as well as individual client sessions and speaking engagements. What She Shares: –Uncoupling body image from normal human emotions –Physical and emotional safety signals –Identifying physiological and psychological needs –Emotional immune system –Food for healing and health –Truce with Food program What You'll Hear: –Issues with body image/positivity marketed to women –Socialization and religious culture influencing body image –Prioritizing safety signals –Unpacking individualization and systemic issues surrounding food –Weight and health –Physical and emotional safety signals –Identifying foods and movement right for our individual bodies –Prioritizing sun and sleep especially through aging –Re-establishing relationship with our bodies with food experiments –Identifying which foods make body feel safe and satisfied –Intrinsic motivation versus shame-based motivation around health –Emotional safety –Emotional immune system run down by chronic stress –Anticipating deprivation and/or restricting with food –No baseline of neutrality and satiation –Translating the body's signals –Intuition based on patterns, difficult with lifetime of dieting/overeating/undereating –Highly processed foods hijacked intuitive understanding –Practicing intuition with three meals a day for physiological and psychological benefits –Rejecting commercialized brand names of diets –Restriction with food in relation to aging, stress, parenting, etc. –Processed foods on a continuum –Amount of attention to give eating can be overwhelming –Undoing binary thinking around foods –Emotional health in relation to food, exercise, diet –Emotional immune systems made up of stories –Intersection of physiology and psychology –Family, peers, religion, work influences to emotional health –Overriding body's signals to "deserve" to eat –Seeking belonging on deepest level –Food one of our first senses of safety and comfort –Understanding insulin resistance, blood sugar levels, and stress –Turning to sugar for nurturance and comfort –Reducing stress and balancing blood sugar results in less sugar intake –Sleep-deprivation contributing to higher sugar intake –Nervous system predisposes towards certain tolerances with foods –Identifying physical and psychological needs for health and sense of safety –Basic human habits declining with modernization and individualization –Food and community Resources Website: https://alishapiro.com/ IG: @alimshapiro

Summary In this episode, Kimberly and Sara discuss how they met through yoga, how they approach their businesses, and how they navigate moving through biological seasons such as premenopause and menopause. While culture wants women to continue pushing towards growth, Kimberly and Sara explain the importance of honoring their own limitations and energy levels especially as entrepreneurs. They also discuss Sara's approach to her online yoga teacher trainings for women. Bio Sara Avant Stover is a teacher of feminine spirituality, bestselling author, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) Practitioner. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Columbia University's all-women's Barnard College, she had a cancer scare, moved to Thailand, and embarked on a decade-long healing and spiritual odyssey throughout Asia. Since then, Sara's gone on to uplift the lives of tens of thousands of women worldwide. The creator of the world's first Women's Yoga Teacher Training, she specializes in supporting women to navigate challenging life transitions and heal from trauma, in service of living with more ease, wholeness, and fulfillment. Sara has also been featured in Yoga Journal, the Huffington Post, Newsweek, Natural Health, and on ABC, NBC, and CBS. She lives in Boulder, CO, and online at SaraAvantStover.com What She Shares: –Kimberly and Sara's yoga teaching experiences together –Sara's The Way of the Happy Woman: Yoga and Meditation Teacher Training for Women –Accepting limitations and different capacities in business –Navigating biological seasons and accepting life's paths What You'll Hear: –How Kimberly and Sara met –Sara's experiences hosting yoga teacher trainings –Discovering love and capacity for leadership –Developed women's yoga teacher training –Transitioning to online teacher trainings –Reasons for focusing on women in trainings –Having sensibility and sensitivity while working with range of people –Processing emotions in community during trainings –Sara's experience dismantling and rebuilding business –Business practices valuing simplicity, cohesion, and sustainability –Navigating behind-the-scenes business challenges –Business expectations and assumptions for coaches –Marketing in the self-help, coaching, yoga worlds –Regret in business and entrepreneurship –Limitations and the feminine –Feminism, fertility, aging, and biology –Accepting limitations around bearing children –Childlessness and singleness in US culture –Ideology trumping biology in many circumstances –Technology and IVF not guarantees –Specific practices for pregnancy, postpartum, menstruation, perimenopause, postmenopause –Internal Family Systems therapy –IFS therapy part of teacher training –Range of experiences, ages, etc. in trainings –Intergenerational and international training –Women learning through modeling and others' stories –Setting up life and business to prepare for menopause –Sara's YTT starting early October –Honoring Zoom fatigue during online training Resources Website: https://www.womensyogateachertraining.com/ https://www.saraavantstover.com/ IG: @saraaventstover