Emotional Badass

Chris shares the raw reality of losing his father suddenly at 72 and how grief reveals the power of positive masculinity. Traditional masculine norms taught men to suppress emotions and avoid vulnerability, but this episode demonstrates a different path by processing pain rather than bottling it up. The discussion covers how an older generation was conditioned to never seek therapy or discuss problems, leading emotions to emerge sideways. The intense three-day Italian Catholic funeral process is described and how forcing through the full mourning ritual actually helped move grief through the system faster. There's discussion of a mysterious final phone call from his father exactly 30 days before his death, when they had no cell service in the mountains where his dad asked them to find a spot for his ashes. The conversation explores how losing a parent forces psychological maturation and how embracing both sadness and positivity creates authentic emotional processing rather than toxic positivity. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CODE: BADASS for $50 off 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The term "daddy issues" points to what happens when you don't get healthy fathering. A good father figure provides grounding and stability - like being the kite string that keeps you tethered while you soar. They teach protection through boundaries, not control, and help you learn the difference between genuine care and manipulation. Healthy fathers mirror back your strength and identity, offer direction without forcing their views, and model accountability by showing that strength and vulnerability go together. Their approval is foundational, not conditional - you don't have to earn love through people-pleasing. Eventually, they bless your independence instead of trying to keep you small. When you miss out on this kind of fathering, you can end up defensive, approval-seeking, or struggling with boundaries. The healing work means learning to reparent yourself and give yourself what you didn't get. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Self-betrayal starts in childhood when trauma teaches you to ignore what your gut is telling you and go straight into overthinking mode just to survive. Your intuition isn't something you think about - it's something you feel deep in your center, quiet and calm, while anxiety creates this crazy mental chaos that spins you out. As kids, trauma survivors had to shut down their inner knowing to avoid getting hurt worse, which creates these lifelong habits of people-pleasing and abandoning yourself. Healing is about giving yourself permission to trust your gut again and act on it, even when it makes other people uncomfortable. You need safe relationships to help your intuition grow back - toxic people just shut it down. Trauma also disconnects you from your body, which is actually a huge part of how you receive intuitive messages. Good boundaries keep the drama out so you can actually hear what your inner wisdom is trying to tell you. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this heartfelt episode, we're navigating grief after the sudden loss of my father-in-law, Chris's dad; George. We revisit a throwback discussion on the five stages of grief - denial, anger, depression, bargaining, and acceptance - but with a deeper understanding of how these stages work. Grief doesn't follow a neat checklist and we often move back and forth between stages. The episode breaks down how denial acts as a protective buffer, why anger surfaces when we feel powerless, and how depression weighs us down. There is a bargaining phase where we try to make deals with the universe, and ultimately reach acceptance by letting go of the fight against what we cannot control. As well as some practical ways to process grief, like writing and speaking aloud, plus a meaningful candle ritual for releasing what we've lost and embracing hope for moving forward. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you grew up with narcissistic or emotionally immature parents, you know the frustration of having all the head knowledge about healing but struggling to actually feel calm in your body. This episode explains why you learned to dissociate and live in your head as a survival mechanism during childhood trauma. We dive into how children of narcissistic parents take on too much responsibility and develop an inner adolescent part that resists guidance and change. Through practical breathing exercises, you experience what it means to get out of your head and into your body, connecting with your wise adult self rather than letting that defensive inner adolescent drive your life. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy 400th Episode!!! I sit down with Chris to talk about the fascinating connection between stage fright and sensitivity. So many of us carry this primal fear of being watched, and it can trigger deep nervous system responses that we don’t always understand. Chris shares his journey from doing magic tricks in kindergarten to performing on stage thousands of times, and how setting boundaries with fear helped him let go of performance anxiety. We get into the science—mirror neurons, sensitivity, and how our bodies can pick up and mirror other people's nervous systems. I share how being around Chris’s calm energy helped me build the confidence I needed to start podcasting.And in our “Good for the Soul” segment, we share the small, simple things that have been helping us feel grounded and nourished lately. Chris describes his latest passion for homemade sausage making, while I talk about discovering authentic sourdough bread that doesn't trigger my usual digestive issues. This segment reflects our belief that mental health includes nurturing all aspects of ourselves, from creative pursuits to simple pleasures that feed our souls. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Continuing with part two of How to Repair after a fight, we discover that apologies are actually the easy part - the true work lies in learning co-regulation and validation without falling into shame or defensive patterns. Mental health work means accepting that sometimes repair happens on different timelines, and that's okay. I'm walking through the exact steps for offering connection after conflict, including why "right fighting" kills intimacy and how to create repair jars for when your brain goes into survival mode. For HSPs and anyone doing trauma recovery, these boundary-setting and validation skills are non-negotiable for healthy relationships. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Repairing relationships after conflicts can be daunting, especially for those without positive role models. The discussion emphasizes emotional strength and self-compassion as essential tools. Listeners will learn the difference between guilt and shame, and how to communicate effectively. The importance of emotional maturity and owning one’s mistakes is highlighted, alongside practical strategies for healthy boundaries. Embracing imperfections and fostering personal growth is presented as a vital part of the journey toward better connections.

Going no contact with family isn’t a straight line—and sometimes it shows up in your dreams. We talk about the complex grief of family estrangement, the truth about recurring dreams, and what your subconscious might be trying to process. Reframing our nightmares can help you build trust with your inner child. We’ll explore the deeper meaning of these dreams, the struggle of detaching, and how to bring your power back—even in your subconscious. If you’ve ever woken up haunted by your past, this is your sign that healing is happening 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Relationships and family dysfunction are two complex yet vital pieces of the mental health puzzle that come together when my husband Chris joins me on the mic today, sharing our perspectives as an Italian Yankee married to a Southern belle. We unpack the realities of dating as Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), share our personal online dating journeys—complete with quirky stories—and highlight how cultural differences shape our subconscious relationship dynamics. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by dating apps, family dysfunction, or subtle misunderstandings, you'll find relatable insights and practical solutions here to boost your emotional resilience and personal growth. 🚧 THE BOUNDARIES INTENSIVE:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://EmotionalBadass.com/boundaries⁠⁠⁠⁠ 💖 PATREON: https://Patreon.com/emotionalbadass 👨‍👨 WORK WITH NIKKI 1:1: https://EmotionalBadass.com/coaching 📰 THE BI-WEEKLY WELLNESS NEWSLETTER https://www.EmotionalBadass.com/newsletter⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices