Body-First Healing Podcast

Did you know the bracing in your jaw, the stiffness in your neck, or even the heaviness in your hips could be from unprocessed trauma? In this episode, Britt explains the science and history of somatic psychology, how the body holds the story of what the mind can’t always name, and explores how each area of the body tells its own story. From the hips, legs, and joints that carry unfinished instinct; to the diaphragm and chest that guard our emotions; to the shoulders, neck, and jaw that brace to keep us safe — Britt helps you understand how these patterns are not failures, but intelligent adaptations. She then guides you through a gentle body-mapping and somatic touch practice to help the body thaw, reawaken, and return to safety at its own pace. Save this episode and come back to it whenever you need to offer yourself some gentle support.Connect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Train with Britt to Become a Somatic Practitioner: bodyfirsthealing.com/somatic-certificateHeal from Trauma & Get Unstuck: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com

Britt is answering listener questions on all things somatic healing—from working through fear of chronic pain to learning how to tap into your emotions when you’ve spent years feeling disconnected. She offers grounded tools for building safety in the body, regulating through stress, and understanding why healing isn’t about control but about learning to trust your body’s cues. Britt also speaks to her own pregnancy journey, sharing what she’s learned about how to have an empowered birth by regulating through fear, surrendering to the process, and allowing the body to lead. Finally, she offers guidance for those curious about starting a career in somatic healing, introducing the upcoming Body-First Healing Somatic Practitioner Certificate, a five-month immersive training designed to help others bring this work into their communities. This conversation is a gentle reminder that healing and empowerment both begin by coming home to your body.Resources:Learn more about the Body-First Healing Somatic Certificate: bodyfirsthealing.com/somatic-certificateJoin the info session Nov 10th: myhealinghub.com/Somatic-Certificate-Info-Session-nov25Related episode: So You Wanna Be a Somatic Practitioner? Pain-Free Birth: painfreebirth.comConnect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com

Have you ever wondered why you can understand your trauma inside and out yet still feel stuck? In this episode, Britt explores one of the biggest misconceptions in the healing world: that talking about or even understanding trauma alone leads to recovery. Drawing from both science and lived experience, she breaks down why traditional talk therapy often falls short, and how true healing requires engaging the body’s innate wisdom. You’ll learn how trauma is stored in the nervous system, what happens in the brain when you’re triggered, and why regulation begins with safety, not strategy. Through Britt’s grounded guidance, this conversation offers a compassionate reminder that you don’t need to know more to heal—you need to feel safe enough to feel.Connect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com

What does it mean to live from a full-body “yes”? In this heartfelt and illuminating conversation, Britt and spiritual leader and global humanitarian Sah D’Simone explore what it looks like to lead life, relationships, and purpose through the felt wisdom of the body. Sah opens up about his evolving relationship with grief and pain, describing how embracing both has become central to his healing—and how somatic practice teaches us to move with emotion rather than away from it. Together, they unpack restorative justice and what repair truly requires: nuance, compassion, and nervous system capacity. They talk about how righteous anger can pave the way for our greatest purpose, how to support others in grief through presence instead of platitudes, and why post-traumatic growth isn’t about bypassing suffering but integrating it. This conversation is a grounded invitation to slow down, listen inward, and let the body guide you toward truth, repair, and connection.Connect with Sah:Instagram: @sahdsimoneWebsite: practice.sahdsimone.comSomatic Dance Institute: practice.sahdsimone.com/somatic-dance-instituteConnect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com

Britt is offering grounded, compassionate guidance for those navigating some of the most tender parts of trauma recovery—when healing feels stuck, anniversaries bring up old pain, or safety in relationships and intimacy feels out of reach. She explains why remembering isn’t required for healing, how somatic work supports survivors of domestic violence and parents facing postnatal depletion, and what it means when nervous system practices stir more anxiety before calm. With her signature blend of science and empathy, Britt reminds listeners that healing isn’t about forcing, it’s about slowly reclaiming trust in the body’s innate wisdom to guide us back to connection, capacity, and peace.Questions answered in this episode:How do you approach healing if someone doesn't have clear memories of their trauma?How can I tend to myself during painful anniversaries?How do you move out of a functional freeze state, especially while in conflict with someone?Is it possible to have safe sexual intimacy after childhood wounds around sex with somatic work?What does the healing journey look like for someone recovering from domestic violence, and how can somatic work support that process?How does Somatic Experiencing support parents who are experiencing postnatal depletion, and what practices can help with self-regulation as a new parent?Why do somatic practices sometimes create more feelings of anxiety before safety?Is online somatic therapy as beneficial as therapy in person?Where can I find free somatic healing support or resources?Resources Mentioned:Somatic Healing Misconceptions, Tips to Get Started & Signs You’re HealingConnect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.comLISTEN, FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:Apple Podcasts SpotifyYouTube

In this episode, Britt opens her heart and shares her journey with alcohol, grief, and trauma, not as a story of failure but as a window into how early nervous system imprints shape the ways we self-soothe. She reflects on the moments that drove her to drink—childhood disconnection, the loss of her brother, the assault and its aftermath—and how alcohol became a way to mask unbearable pain. Britt walks us through her rock bottom experiences, from a jail cell to waking up ashamed after her wedding, and the turning points that led her to faith, somatic practices, and nervous system repair. She explains the science of addiction, how alcohol impacts the brain and body, and why addiction is not a moral failing but a survival response. She also shares what happened when, after seven years of abstinence, she cautiously reintroduced alcohol. Through it all, Britt shows how real recovery comes not from fighting the substance but from healing the root cause of addiction—our pain—and how compassion, community, and somatic healing open the way back to wholeness.Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversation around sexual assault, suicidal ideation, and addiction. Please care for yourself as you listen, pause or skip if this feels overwhelming or unsafe for you.Join the program at $500 off for a limited time! Learn more at bodyfirsthealing.com/program and DM @healwithbritt for your special discount code!Resources:Huberman Lab Podcast: What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor MateConnect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.comLISTEN, FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:Apple Podcasts SpotifyYouTube

Feeling drained, disconnected, or like no amount of rest ever feels enough? In this episode, Britt reframes burnout as more than exhaustion, it’s the body’s way of protecting us and signaling when we’ve pushed past our limits. She explores why women are especially vulnerable, how cultural expectations feed depletion, and the nervous system science behind what’s really happening when you hit that wall. You’ll walk away with somatic tools for listening to your body, permission to slow down without shame, and a fresh perspective on burnout as an invitation to realign with what’s truly sustainable and life-giving.Resources:Listen: Zach Bush MD on Forgiveness, Leadership, and The New Humanity - Conscious 500 PodcastRead: Woman Code by Alisa VittiHarvard Study: Silencing the self: Women and depression.Connect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com

One of the biggest catalysts for growth and change happens when you become parents, but there’s so much that isn’t talked about in this transition. In this deeply personal episode, Britt is joined by her husband David for an honest look at how parenthood can stir up old wounds, activate your nervous system, and bring your attachment history to the surface. Together, they reflect on their relationship journey—from meeting while Britt was still in the thick of trauma recovery, to navigating codependency in their early years, to finding their footing as parents. They talk about the overstimulation, grief, and identity shifts that come with raising kids, the most rewarding lessons they’ve learned along the way, and their shared dreams for the future.What You’ll Hear in This Episode:Why they have decided to homeschool their kids and other things they're doing differently as parentsHow attachment wounds and codependency can show up in marriage and parentingWhat David has learned about supporting a partner in a hard season of lifeThe biggest challenges and beautiful lessons that have come with becoming parentsHow overstimulation, grief, and identity shifts affect both partners in parentingTheir vision for creating a family oasis and retreat space in MontanaThe unspoken mental and emotional load men often carry in silenceHow our individual healing paths have influenced our marriage and parenting dynamicThe honest truth about trying to balance work, motherhood, partnership, and restConnect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com

What does it take to become a somatic practitioner? In this solo episode, Britt shares her personal path to this work, and the many avenues for becoming a trauma-informed coach. She dives deep into what led her to become certified in Somatic Experiencing®, how that credential differs from other trauma-informed training and what SEP training actually looks like. Britt offers her honest reflections on what’s most important when stepping into this role and the four foundational practices she believes every somatic practitioner should be engaging with regularly. She gives insight into navigating the business side of working in the healing space and a quick somatic practice for your understanding relationship to money. Whether you’re looking to add certifications to your toolbelt or are curious of how to get started in this space, Britt is your guide to becoming a somatic practitioner!What you’ll learn:What led Britt to become a Somatic Experiencing PractitionerHow SEP training is structured and what it includesWhat makes somatic work different from other healing modalitiesThe most important (and often overlooked) parts of doing this work wellFour core practices every somatic practitioner should be engaging inBritt’s tips for navigating the business side of the healing space with integrityResources: The Body Keeps The Score by Dr. Bessel VanDerKolkWaking the Tiger by Dr. Peter Levine Somatic Experiencing® International: traumahealing.org The Polyvagal Institute: polyvagalinstitute.orgThe Embody Lab: theembodylab.comConnect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com

Britt is here to answer all of your nervous system and somatic healing related questions to help you move the needle in your healing journey! With grounded guidance from her personal and professional experience, she compassionately speaks to the moments we feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where to begin. You’ll hear her advice on where to start after trauma, how to navigate hormone-related dysregulation, and what it really means to grow your emotional capacity. Britt also shares nervous system-informed insights on persistent anxiety, commitment fears, chronic fatigue and relational patterns that keep us from feeling safe with others. You’ll walk away feeling more equipped and empowered with practical tools and gentle perspective to support your nervous system, your healing, and your relationships.Connect with Britt:Instagram: @healwithbrittTikTok: @healwithbrittYouTube: Brittany PiperBody-First Healing Resources:Join the Program: bodyfirsthealing.com/programRead the Book: bodyfirsthealing.com/the-bookTake the Free Mini Course: myhealinghub.com/minicourseoptinWebsite: bodyfirsthealing.com