Beyond Words with Najwa Zebian

Send a textWhat if the reason you’re exhausted isn’t because you’re failing…but because you’ve been trying too hard for too long?In this episode of Beyond Words, I talk about the quiet cost of constant effort — the kind of trying that looks like love, loyalty, and strength, but slowly turns into self-abandonment.Trying to be chosen.Trying to be understood.Trying to keep relationships, dreams, and identities intact by force.This episode is about what happens when you finally stop.Not from a place of giving up — but from a place of truth.When you stop trying to prove your worth, you begin to hear your own voice again.When you stop over-functioning, people and situations reveal themselves.When you stop trying to control everything outside of you, clarity forms within.We explore the nervous-system panic that comes with “not trying,” why effort becomes tied to worth, and how discernment emerges when you let things settle instead of forcing answers.This episode includes:A deep reflection on effort, worth, and survival patternsWords From Me to You — an excerpt from The Only ConstantWords That Found Me — a meditation on letting go without knowing what comes nextA somatic exercise to release what your body has been holding ontoSometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop trying — and see what remains.

Send us a textWhen heartbreak doesn’t pause your responsibilities, grief finds you in the quiet.In this episode of Beyond Words, we explore what it means to grieve while still having to show up for life—work, goals, exams, and expectations—when your heart is breaking behind the scenes. This conversation is inspired by a listener who shared the pain of going through the hardest breakup of his life while preparing for a life-defining exam, functioning when busy but unraveling in stillness.We talk about:Why grief shows up when you slow downWhy healing is not about “winning” the battle in your mindHow to stop judging yourself for grieving in wavesWhy closure does not come from the person who hurt youThe difference between distraction and healingHow silence can clear the emotional noise and help you see clearly againThis episode is an invitation to stop comparing your healing to someone else’s, to stop outsourcing your closure, and to remember that your pain does not mean something is wrong with you—it means something mattered.We end with Words That Found Me by Helen Keller, and Words From Me to You from Welcome Home, reminding you that love that once existed does not disappear—it becomes part of who you are.If you’re grieving while life keeps moving, this episode is for you.

Send us a textWhen love feels like danger, it’s not because you don’t want love. It’s because love has hurt you before.In this episode of Beyond Words, I explore why so many of us instinctively pull away from love — not out of fear of intimacy, but out of fear of repetition. When vulnerability once led to betrayal, abandonment, or emotional punishment, the nervous system learns to associate love with danger.We talk about:Why intensity at the beginning of a relationship is not the same as safetyThe difference between someone whose love is their nature versus someone who follows a toolbox to make you fall in loveHow inconsistency reveals when someone’s mask has slippedWhy your body learned to protect you — and why it isn’t brokenHow to rebuild trust slowly, consciously, and without self-betrayalWhy consistency over time matters more than grand gesturesThis episode is for anyone who has ever felt guilty for wanting love, ashamed for trusting, or afraid to open up again. If love once felt like the place where pain entered your life, this conversation will help you understand why — and how to begin teaching your nervous system that safety can exist again.Your fear makes sense. Your body is loyal, not broken. And love was never the danger.

Send us a textYou’ve been taught that being nice is the safest way to survive conflict—especially with people who are cruel, dishonest, or inconsiderate. But niceness can become a way of abandoning yourself.In this episode, I’m talking about why you keep meeting mistreatment with more kindness, more patience, more understanding—while forgetting the most important person in your life: you.We’ll unpack:Why “being nice” can be a trauma response (fawning)The difference between niceness and kindnessWhy self-respect starts with accepting what just happenedHow boundaries aren’t punishment—they’re protectionWhy you don’t have to endure someone’s hell to “earn” their heavenWords That Found Me: Brené Brown — “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind.” Words From Me to You: Welcome Home — “Give Yourself Validation”If someone’s approval requires your self-abandonment, let them keep it.

Send us a text“If they wanted to, they would” is missing one word — and that word changes everything.In this episode of Beyond Words, Najwa unpacks the difference between wanting and trying, and why intention without effort doesn’t protect your heart, your time, or your dignity. Wanting is easy to say. Trying is what shows priority, care, and commitment.You’ll be invited to look at the people in your life (and yourself) through one simple lens: Behavior over intention. Actions over words. Effort over excuses. Because when nothing is being done, “they want to” and “they don’t want to” lead to the same outcome.Najwa also explores how mixed signals keep you stuck on hope, how breadcrumbs train you to survive on scraps of love, and why waiting for someone’s actions to match their words isn’t patience — it’s self-abandonment.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why “If they wanted to, they would” isn’t the full truthThe difference between being unable… and being unwillingHow effort reveals your place in someone’s lifeWhy mixed signals are a signal — and what to do with themHow to become a “person of choice” in your own lifeA simple self-check: “This is me trying.”Segments:Words That Found Me — Maya Angelou: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”Words From Me To You — an excerpt from The Only Constant (page 205) on scarcity, breadcrumbs, and why we hold on.If this episode supported you, it would mean the world if you left a rating or review wherever you listen or watch.

Send us a textWhat do you do when your partner says they’re uncomfortable with a “friendship” you have with someone else?In this soul-nourishing conversation, I’m joined by one of my dearest friends—IN-Q (you may know him as @inq.life)—for a deep dive into love, boundaries, trust, and the quiet ways we betray ourselves when we try to be “easygoing” at the cost of emotional safety.We talk about the difference between secure love and detached love, why “unconditional” doesn’t mean “anything goes,” and how your non-negotiables aren’t demands—they’re clarity. We explore the nuance behind opposite-sex friendships, the idea of “leaky energy,” and what it actually means to honor your relationship without policing each other.We also go inward: why expression heals, why the right words can become medicine, and why the most powerful relationship you’ll ever build is the one where you learn to speak to yourself with respect.This episode is for anyone who’s ever asked:Am I allowed to have needs in love?When is compromise healthy—and when is it self-abandonment?How do I walk away from someone I still love?What does trust actually require?And it ends with something you might not know you needed to hear: I don’t need to know you to be proud of you.Guest: IN-Q (@inq.life) Find IN-Q: in-q.com | Inquire Within | Never-Ending Now Poetry Journal | retreats + tour dates via his newsletterIf this conversation held you, share it with someone who needs permission to choose themselves—without guilt.

David Kessler, a renowned grief expert and bestselling author, dives deep into the nuances of grief, emphasizing it as a change we never wanted. He discusses denial as a protective grace and how grief mirrors the love we’ve experienced. Kessler reveals that true healing comes from witnessing our grief rather than fixing it, and he shares insights on managing relationships with grieving individuals. They highlight the importance of community support, cultural rituals, and the vital role of self-compassion in navigating this journey of loss.

Najwa Zebian dives into the complexities of taking things personally, challenging the idea that it equates to self-blame. She emphasizes that recognizing our pain can empower us to set boundaries and revoke access to those who hurt us. By viewing betrayal as a reflection of character, listeners learn to protect their self-worth and redefine love beyond manipulation. The discussion highlights how feeling hurt can drive necessary changes and offers insights on using emotional experiences as data for healthier relationships.

Send us a textWe often wait for the person who broke us to bring us the medicine that will heal what they broke.Their apology.Their acknowledgment.Their guilt.Their suffering.But when you give someone the power to heal you in the same way you gave them the power to break you, you place yourself in a dangerous position, because the source you’re waiting on has already proven to be a source of pain.In this episode of Beyond Words, Najwa Zebian explores what it truly means to be your own medicine. Not as a way of becoming cold, detached, or self-sufficient in isolation — but as a way of reclaiming your power, your compassion, and your wholeness.This episode is for anyone who:Is waiting for closure that may never comeGives endlessly to others but neglects themselvesConfuses love with self-depletionHas been conditioned to believe they are last on their own priority listNajwa speaks about:Why the person who caused the wound cannot be the source of the cureHow people-pleasing trains us to abandon ourselvesThe difference between survival safety and expansive safetyHow to give yourself the empathy, validation, and care you give so freely to othersWhy revenge is a distortion of your medicine, and self-return is its true powerThis episode includes a reading from Mind Platter and reflections from The Only Constant on healing, self-worth, and becoming the person you’ve been waiting for.🎧 Listen when you’re ready to stop begging for crumbs,  and start giving yourself the whole meal.

Send us a textWe often believe that happiness lives in a different version of our life — a new job, a new relationship, a new body, or a new place. But real transformation doesn’t start from the outside in. It starts from the inside out.In this deeply reflective episode of Beyond Words, Najwa reminds us that the most important glow up isn’t about what the world sees, but who we become within. She explores the illusion of external validation, the beauty of integrity, and what it truly means to embody the person you say you are.Najwa reads from her first book Mind Platter and shares insights from The Only Constant, guiding you to shift your focus from changing your circumstances to strengthening your character.You’ll learn:Why external success can never heal internal emptinessHow to stop chasing validation and start embodying wholenessWhat it means to have a “soul’s glow up”How to rebuild your self-worth from the inside outYour job isn’t to create a new life that looks better. It’s to become a new you that feels better.#BeyondWords #NajwaZebian #Healing #PersonalGrowth #GlowUp #SelfWorth #Podcast