Join Nancy Jane Smith, Licensed professional counselor, author and teacher as she shares stories and lessons from a personal and professional quest to Live Happier. Nancy talks about practical strategies to reduce perfectionism, quiet the inner critic, and live with more authenticity and intention.…
We hope you enjoy this super special bonus episode, here to tide you over until our next season begins in a few months. This is my extended conversation with Katherine May, author of the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. We talk about how to get through our winters, what we love about winter, and why different people need to rest in different ways.Listen to the full episode to hear:Nancy's extended conversation with Katherine May, author of Wintering and the forthcoming book Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, available in March 2023.Extra insight from Katherine May, who we interviewed for Episode 6 of this season.Tips for folks with HFA who want to learn to be kind to themselves as they go through the winters of their lives.Learn more about Katherine May:Go to katherine-may.co.ukhttps://katherine-may.co.uk/Buy Katherine's book, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times on her website, or pre-order her forthcoming book, Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, out in March 2023. Listen to Katherine's podcast, The Wintering Sessions, wherever you get your podcasts.Follow Katherine on Twitter @_katherine_may_Visit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
Here it is, our final episode in our season all about rest! Remember in the first episode when Nancy talked to her friend Stephanie Pollock about the seven different types of rest? Well, for our last episode, we're coming full circle and talking to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith-- the physician, author, and researcher, who literally came up with that concept! We'll learn all about the seven different types of rest and how we can treat ourselves kindly when we feel exhausted.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal relationship with the seven types of rest.- Nancy's journey to accepting that rest isn't just about sleep.- Insight and information from Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of the book Sacred Rest.- Tips for folks with HFA who want to better understand their rest deficits.Learn more about Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith:- Go to drdaltonsmith.com to learn more about Saundra's work, how you can work with her, and buy her book.- Take the rest quiz to find out what your personal rest deficits are at restquiz.com.Visit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
One thing you should know about people with High Functioning Anxiety-- we love our rules! Even when they don't help us live happy and healthy lives. In particular, I have A LOT of rules around rest. When I can rest, how I can rest, if I've earned the rest I'm taking. You get the idea. In this episode, I talk with one of my clients, Michelle, whose rules for rest are similar to my own. We talk about how we're learning to loosen up our rules, one step at a time.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal relationship with her rules for rest.- Nancy's journey to accepting that she is worthy of rest and to loosen up her rest rules.- Insight from one of Nancy's clients, Michelle, who is also learning to loosen up her rules around rest.- Tips for folks with HFA who want to try to loosen up their own rest rules.Visit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
Hey guys! So we're supposed to have a new episode for you today, but as it often does, life happens. And my producer Nikki, well, she's quite sick. So in the spirit of this season on rest, we are practicing what we preach and waiting until the new year to publish our last two episodes of the season. Our next episode will be out on January 6th. Have a happy holiday, and make sure you take some time for rest. Until next time!Visit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
Have you ever been through a period of your life where you felt like nothing was going right? And during that period, did you think: "Oh my god, what is WRONG with me?? I have to get out of this as fast as I can!!" Well, Nancy's been there. But after talking with Katherine May, author of the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, she learned that these difficult, dark periods are just a part of life. And it's the grace that we show ourselves as we get through them that really matters.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal relationship with wintering.- Nancy's journey to accept wintering as an important stage of life.- Nancy's conversation with author Katherine May about the importance of rest in difficult times.- Tips for folks with HFA who may be going through a winter themselves.Learn more about Katherine May:- Go to https://katherine-may.co.uk/- Buy Katherine's book, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times on her website, or pre-order her forthcoming book, Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, out in March 2023. - Listen to Katherine's podcast, The Wintering Sessions, wherever you get your podcasts.- Follow Katherine on Twitter @_katherine_may_Visit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
Most people think that napping is great! A little break during the middle of the day. But Nancy HATES naps, with a fiery passion. They don't help her feel refreshed, and she just wakes up feeling yucky. But! She has a sinking suspicion that if she gave the whole napping thing a try her way, then maybe she could make napping work for her. So Nancy embarks on the dreaded NAPPING EXPERIMENT... DUN DUN DUN. And chats again with Dr. Sara Mednick to learn: what's so great about napping?Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal relationship with napping.- Nancy's journey to accomplish the NAPPING EXPERIMENT... DUN DUN DUN.- Insight into why napping could work for you with sleep expert Dr. Sara Mednick.- Tips for folks with HFA who want to try napping for themselves.Learn more about Dr. Sara Mednick:- Go to https://www.saramednick.com/ - Buy Sara's book Take a Nap, Change Your Life on her website, or wherever books are sold. - Follow Sara on Twitter @Sara_MednickVisit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
When most people think of vacation, their thoughts are simple: awesome, great, I love to go on vacation, and this will be THE BEST. For people with High-Functioning Anxiety, vacation can be a lot more complicated than that. Resting sounds delightful, but it can cause anxiety to go even higher! Nancy shares why she both loves and hates vacations. Plus, she answers listener questions and gives concrete advice about how to actually have fun on your next vacation, even if you have High Functioning Anxiety.Listen to the full episode to hear:Nancy's personal relationship with vacation.A Q&A where Nancy answers questions about how to handle vacation when you have high-functioning anxiety.Tips for folks with High Functioning Anxiety who actually want to relax on vacations.Visit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
Nancy has tried and tried again to be a consistent meditator. Everyone says it's the key to getting rid of anxiety! But the "traditional" ways of meditating that she's tried-- sitting on a pillow for 5 minutes a day thinking about *nothing*-- have NOT worked for her. That's why she got in touch with Jessica Snow. Jessica is a spiritual teacher and writer of guided meditations whose approach to mindfulness is anything but rigid. Jessica shares some tips for using your imagination to help make mindfulness work for you and even shares a short guided meditation with Nancy.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's struggle with meditating and how the traditional rules of meditation clash with her high-functioning anxiety.- A conversation about imagination, mindfulness, and rest with Jessica Snow.- Tips for folks with HFA who want to harness the benefits of mindfulness.Learn more about Jessica Snow:- Go to youaremagicla.com to sign up for Jessica's newsletter, listen to her guided meditations, watch her videos, and sign up for her workshops.- Follow Jessica on Instagram @meditation_jessVisit: https://NancyJaneSmith.comLearn More About Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com
Nothing hits harder over the age of 30 than a bad night of sleep. When Nancy thinks about rest, she automatically thinks about sleep, and how hard it can be to give ourselves the space to actually allow ourselves to get the full amount of sleep we need. Nancy talks about her personal "sleep rules" and how she's learning to bend them. And we talk to Dr. Sara Mednick, a cognitive neuroscience, author and sleep researcher about the truly magical things that our bodies do while our eyes are shut.Listen to the full episode to hear: Nancy's personal journey with sleep and how she's learning to overcome her ingrained "sleep rules."A conversation about the science of sleep with Dr. Sara Mednick.Tips for folks with HFA who want to harness the power of sleep.Learn more about Sara Mednick:Go to https://www.saramednick.com/Buy Sara's book The Power of the Downstate on her website, or wherever books are sold.Follow Sara on Twitter @Sara_MednickLearn more about Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com/
In the first episode of our new season (!) Nancy wades into a topic that's both frustrated and fascinated her over the years-- rest. She grapples with why it's so hard for people like her with HFA to truly rest, and talks with her friend, Stephanie Pollock, about why rest is such a hot topic these days. This is just the first of our eight episode season all about rest-- so stay tuned for more!Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal relationship to rest, including why COVID has made resting even harder.- A conversation about rest with Nancy's friend Stephanie Pollock.- A sneak peek at what we'll be covering in the realm of rest this season.Learn more about Stephanie Pollock:- Go to https://stephaniepollock.com/- Listen to Stephanie's podcast, "Everyday Leadership for Smart Women": https://stephaniepollock.com/podcast/- Subscribe to her newsletter: https://newsletter.stephaniepollock.com/- Follow Stephanie on Twitter @Steph_PollockLearn more about Nancy:- https://nancyjanesmith.com- https://selfloyaltyschool.com
In our final episode of Season 3, Nancy reflects on all the thinking and learning she's done around change this season. She writes a letter to her younger self, looking back on how the big changes in her life have often come at her fast and furious, but always for the better. Then Nancy checks in with her husband Doug, about how they've both changed throughout their lives together. Finally, we hear a very special letter to Nancy's older self, 20 years in the future.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's reflections on change and the importance of being self-loyal in moments of transition.- A conversation about change between Nancy and her husband Doug.- Resources for staying connected with Nancy and the podcast before our next season comes out.Learn more about Self Loyalty School:- Go to https://selfloyaltyschool.com
In this episode Nancy reveals that she's *always* had a business nemesis. A person that she compares herself to when she feels like things aren't going great. And that really gets her Monger AND her BFF going at it! Nancy tells the story of how she confronted this comparison behavior head-on and speaks to Regan Walsh-- Chief Renegade Officer at Renegade Global-- about how tricky comparison can be when we're trying to make meaningful change.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal experiences with comparison and its negative effects on creating change.- A conversation about change and comparison with Regan Walsh.- How to learn more about Self Loyalty School.Learn more about Regan Walsh:- Go to reganwalsh.com - Learn about Renegade Global at renegade.global- Order Regan's book "Heart Boss" at https://reganwalsh.com/heartboss/- You can follow Regan on Twitter @reganwalsh Learn more about Self Loyalty School:- Go to https://selfloyaltyschool.com
In this episode, Nancy shares a relatable tale: her struggle to stay off social media. She made that change a while ago, but her BFF is always gunning for her to get back on. Especially when a really special opportunity presents itself... In this episode, we hear an exclusive interview between Nancy's BFF and her Biggest Fan, hashing out the pros and cons of social media, and how hard it is to make a lasting change when confronted with a decision between false self-compassion or true self-loyalty.Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal story about change and her BFF.- A fun and information conversation between Nancy's BFF and her Biggest Fan.- Learn more about Self Loyalty School: https://selfloyaltyschool.com-Listen to Nancy's Conversation with Leann Rimes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nancy-jane-smith/id1540357529?i=1000556139496
In this episode Nancy shares the story we've all been waiting for... a little tale about a rogue Segway. But it's actually about a lot more than that. The Segway story brings Nancy to think about how she's viewed her body over the years, and the way that changes around our physical self can be tough. Then she talks to an expert practitioner and teacher of the Feldenkrais Method-- a movement practice that encourages gentle movement and bodily awareness to promote overall wellness. Listen to the full episode to hear:- Nancy's personal story about change and her body.- Information and insights from Feldenkrais practitioner Elizabeth Beringer.- How to learn more about Self Loyalty School.Learn more about Elizabeth Beringer:- feldenkraisresources.comLearn more about Self Loyalty School-SelfLoyaltySchool.com
Nancy talks to a leading psychologist and expert in emotions, who tells her all about how our emotions can help us create change in our lives. She learns about the kind of self-reflective emotions-- like pride, jealousy, and embarrassment-- that can be a real challenge to untangle. Then she shares a story about a time when she felt totally lost in a sea of her own messy emotions, and how she learned how to pop her head out from under the water and float to shore. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's personal experiences with getting lost in the emotion ocean. - Information and insights from Dr. Jessica Tracy. - How to learn more about Self Loyalty School. Learn more about Dr. Jessica Tracy: - Find Jessica on Twitter @ProfJessTracy - Order Jessica's book Learn more about Self Loyalty School
In this episode, Nancy talks to an expert in creativity, who had to reevaluate her whole life and career when everything fell apart, then re-learn what she valued as she rebuilt her life from the ashes. But first, she tells us a story that illustrates some entrenched beliefs she had about herself for a long time, that she had to let go of in order to move forward. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's personal experiences with shaking off entrenched beliefs. - Tips and advice from Melissa Dinwiddie, Founder and CEO of Creative Sandbox Solutions. - How to learn more about Self Loyalty School. Learn more about Melissa Dinwiddie. - Visit Melissa's website: https://melissadinwiddie.com/ - Order Melissa's book: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sandbox-Way-Your-Full-Color/dp/0997962615 Learn more about Self Loyalty School: - Go to https://selfloyaltyschool.com
In honor of my new course Self Loyalty School, this season we are looking at how to make change. In this episode, Nancy learns how hard it is to form habits and goals all from a psychologist and neuroscience expert! She tells us about her journey to accept her new physical limitations in her workouts, and why learning about how change works on a scientific level, can make space for kindness and grace. Nancy talks with Dr. Elliot Berkman, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon who studies the science of habits. He'll tell us what's really going on inside our brains when we try to do something new and make it stick. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's personal experiences with trying to form habits and routines. - The science behind forming habits and achieving goals from Dr. Elliot Berkman. - How to learn more about Self Loyalty School. Learn more about Dr. Elliot Berkman: - Go to the University of Oregon website: https://ctn.uoregon.edu/profile/berkman - You can follow him on Twitter @Psychologician Learn more about Self Loyalty School: - Go to https://selfloyaltyschool.com
In the first episode of our new season, Nancy brings us on a personal journey of change through self-loyalty. She describes how she embarked on the most self-loyal year she's ever had, both in her business and her personal life, which culminated in the creation of Self Loyalty School. Nancy speaks with her friend and business collaborator, Hillary Rea. They discuss Hillary's storytelling philosophy and the work they've done together to cultivate self-loyalty through story. Then Nancy checks in with our favorite recurring guest, her husband Doug, to get his read on how she's been able to pivot toward self-loyalty over the past year. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's journey to make the change to become self-loyal in her business and in her personal life. - Storytelling and communication tips from Hillary Rea. - How to learn more about Self Loyalty School. Learn more about Hillary Rea: - Go to https://tellmeastory.info to learn more about Hillary and how to work with her. - Sign up for Hillary's Monthly Speak Up Session: https://www.tellmeastory.info/session Learn more about Self Loyalty School: - Go to https://selfloyaltyschool.com
In this extra-special bonus episode, Nancy tells a super personal story of self-loyalty with appearances from the Monger, the BFF, and finally, the Biggest Fan. She describes how she created her new course: Self Loyalty School. She tells us how you can start looking to the inside rather than to what other people think is right, to cultivate self-loyalty and quiet your anxiety. Listen to the full episode to hear: - Nancy's super personal story of self-loyalty. - Tips for quieting your anxiety through self-loyalty. - How to sign up for Self Loyalty School. Learn more about Self Loyalty School: - Go to https://selfloyaltyschool.com
In this episode, Nancy recounts a story of a moment where she didn't feel like she fit in her surroundings at all, but was able to find a very solid moment of connection with her inner voice of self-loyalty. Nancy shares a conversation with her childhood pastor, and friend, Gary Ritts. Gary tells the story of how he switched denominations partway through his ministerial career and never looked back. Finally, we get to hear a little more about Nancy's dad Ted, and how he inspired friends like Gary by being their human personification of the Biggest Fan. Listen to the full episode to hear: How to separate the voice of the Biggest Fan from the Monger and the BFF. How to accept your own square peg style. How to use moments of connection to tap into the voice of the Biggest Fan. Stories and advice from Gary Ritts.
This episode traces a familiar circle, pun intended! Nancy explores the idea of "spiraling" through a personal story about living the same lessons about anxiety over and over again. Then, she talks to movement educator and expert on the mind body connection, Jenn Pilotti, about ways to combat anxiety by using your brain to tune into bodily sensations. Jenn shares some movement exercises, tips and tricks for calming the nervous system through movement. At the end of the episode Nancy puts what she learned from Jenn to the test, by taking a walk through a labyrinth. Listen to the full episode to hear: - How to look at the so-called "anxiety spiral" in a new light. - How to use movement to calm anxiety. - Tips and tricks for tapping into the sensations of the body. - Resources and advice from Jenn Pilotti. Learn more about Jenn: - Go to jennpilotti.com Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book
In this episode, we tackle a subject that Nancy has VERY strong opinions about. Gratitude. Sometimes it seems like people use the idea of gratitude as a way to wipe away the pains and sorrows of life. But that isn't very effective and can end up making us feel worse. Nancy talks to journalist and author Rob Walker about how we can use the art of noticing the everyday as a way to tap into a deeper sense of gratitude for the world around us. Rob shares some tips, prompts, and suggestions for using simple attention as an alternative to the stale notion of gratitude. Listen to the end for some excellent dog panting sounds! Listen to the full episode to hear: - How to hold on to our power of attention in everyday life. - How to tap into and notice the world around us to create an authentic sense of gratitude. - Tips, prompts and tricks for sparking creativity through attention. - Resources and advice from Rob Walker
In this episode, we learn all about feelings. How they show up in our brains and in our bodies, and how they can affect the way we interact with the world around us. Nancy tells us about trying to conquer her Monger during a stressful time, and how feeling her emotions in her body and naming them, helped her to feel better in the moment. We also hear from science journalist and health advocate Donna Jackson Nakazawa who explains to us from a scientific perspective what a feeling actually is, and how it affects our bodies over the course of our lives. She gives us some tips for understanding our emotions and how our health can be affected by trauma. Listen to the full episode to hear: - How feelings affect our physical and mental health. - How a feeling is biologically created. - How trauma affects our emotional and physical state. - Resources and advice from Donna Jackson Nakazawa.
In this episode, we'll learn about the final character in the Happier Approach cast-- the wise, self-loyal, and sometimes elusive, Biggest Fan. The Biggest Fan always has your back, but that doesn't mean that listening to her is easy. Nancy shares her experience of learning to tap into the voice of the Biggest Fan through the encouragement of her husband Doug. Then, she speaks with actor Victor Warren, who embodies what it means to listen to that self-loyal voice in order to make your dreams come true. Finally, Nancy shares a conversation between herself and her husband Doug, where they talk about the true meaning of the Biggest Fan. Listen to the full episode to hear: - All about The Biggest Fan - Tips for tapping into the self-loyal voice of the Biggest Fan. - Insight from actor Victor Warren.
In this episode, we get close and personal with another central character in the Happier Approach: the overindulgent BFF. The BFF has good intentions-- she's often jumping in to argue with the Monger when that mean voice of self-criticism gets too loud. But the BFF can push us over the line from self-care to self-indulgence very quickly. Nancy walks us through a typical tug-of-war between her Monger and BFF, and tells us how she's able to quiet those voices. Nancy also speaks to writer and mental health advocate Jill Stark, author of three books about mental health. Jill tells us about her experience giving up alcohol, and how practicing radical honesty around that tough decision totally kick-started her career as an author. She also shares some tips that she's picked up from her own experiences dealing with her inner critic. Listen to the full episode to hear: All about The BFF. Tips for recognizing the BFF voice and distinguishing between self-care and self-indulgence. Resources and advice from Jill Stark. For more information about Jill and her work: Go to https://jillstark.com.au/ Check out Jill's Twitter account @jillastark Follow Jill on Instagram @jillstark_ Order Jill's books When You're Not OK, Happy Never After, and High Sobriety through her website: https://jillstark.com.au/books/ Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website
In this episode, we take a trip into Nancy's brain and learn all about her inner self-critique. The voice that tells her every day that all the things she's doing just aren't good enough. Nancy calls that voice The Monger. The Monger is at the root of why Nancy started the Happier Approach. She realized that her Monger's voice is particularly loud. Nancy wonders: do other people, people who really seem to have it together, have loud Mongers too? To answer that question Nancy speaks with Kati Morton, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, author, and YouTube creator. Kati tells us about her own struggles with the inner critic and gives us some tips on how to quiet that screechy Monger voice. Listen to the full episode to hear: All about The Monger Tips for recognizing the Monger's voice and quieting her. Resources and advice from Kati Morton. For more information about Kati and her work: Go to katimorton.com. Check out Kati's YouTube channel Pre-order Kati's forthcoming book Traumatized out September 7, 2021: Follow Kati on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website
In this episode, the first of our new season, we go back to the beginning to learn how The Happier Approach all started. This is a great episode to listen to if you're just learning about the podcast. If you're a longtime listener, you'll get the in-depth story of how Nancy started her journey toward self-loyalty, catalyzed by a public talk at a wine shop, as well as a personal tragedy. You'll hear from all the major characters in Nancy's life, her husband Doug, her best friend Mary, her mom Jane, and even her dad Ted. Each of them remembers, along with Nancy, how she came to recognize her Monger and her BFF, and rally her Biggest Fan to start her journey toward self-loyalty. Listen to the full episode to hear: The origins of The Happier Approach. A primer on the major characters of The Happier Approach: the Monger, the BFF, and the Biggest Fan. The story of the beginning of Nancy's personal journey toward self-loyalty. Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website
Trailer for the new season of the Happier Approach. Starts May 7th!
The beginning of any new year often hyperactivates our “Shoulds.” I should lose weight. I should start meditating more. I should be kinder to myself. I should put myself out there more. I should, I should, I should. I am no stranger to the Shoulds that my Monger promotes every new year. Like clockwork, those shoulds and New Year, New Me attitudes drift away. My Monger always has a heyday with this—convincing me that I was failing. But the concept of self-loyalty—the notion that true change comes only when we’re loyal to ourselves first—is what changed the game for me… for the better. In part one of this series on self-loyalty, I talked with my friend and podcast producer, Sean McMullin. We defined self-loyalty and how to bring self-loyalty to the center of your life as you make plans for change in the new year. If you haven’t listened to part one yet, I recommend that you do before jumping into this one. Today, I’m continuing my conversation with Sean, going deeper into change, resolutions, and plans for the new year. Listen to the full episode to hear: How 2020 and COVID changed our approach to resolutions How our image of ourselves, our identities, and our stories can keep us from seeing possibilities Upcoming changes for the Happier Approach Podcast Learn more about Sean McMullin: Yellow House Media Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Resources mentioned in this episode Headspace Meditation App The Real Point of Meditating by Mike Sturm on Medium The Science of Mindfulness | Dr. Ron Siegel | Talks at Google The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker -- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
For years, the month of December was my month of debauchery. My BFF (the voice of false self-compassion) ran the show. After months of being told what I “should” do by my Monger in December, I could throw all the rules out the window. December was the one month out of the year that I gave myself permission to not listen to the shaming voice of the Monger: I gave myself the free pass of December because I knew come January, my Monger would drop the hammer and criticize me into submission. I believed, on January 1st (well, 2nd really because on the 1st, I was still recovering from all the December merriment), I would magically become a new person. Someone who loved vegetables and hated sugar, desired to work out every day, easily abstained from drinking, and uber-productive. I am sure you could guess how that went. Long story short, come mid-January, my Monger had a field day with all the ways I was failing. This all-or-nothing thinking ran my life for years---decades really. But something changed, thanks to the practice of self-loyalty. December isn’t a magical month of no consequences anymore. Instead, I have days where I overeat sugar and drink too much caffeine and days where I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. And my worthiness isn’t linked to any of it. Whether I eat five sugar cookies or five carrots, I am still me: broken, imperfect, smart, funny, overly-sensitive, loyal Nancy Jane Smith. But the idea of change and resolutions still intrigues me. So on this episode, I am bringing back my podcast producer Sean McMullin. You might remember him from episode 155 and episode 161 where we discussed meditation and mindfulness. This is part one of this conversation and I’m so excited for you to hear it. Part two will be released next week! Listen to the full episode to hear: The definition of Self-Loyalty How self-loyalty works with the idea of change and resolutions Sean’s plans for the new year--combining a word of the year with quarterly themes How to hold your resolutions loosely AND actually make change Learn more about Sean McMullin: Yellow House Media Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
Anyone with High Functioning Anxiety knows what I mean when I talk about the Swan Effect. It basically boils down to the feeling of being so on top of it and accomplishing everything we set our sights on… compared to the overwhelm and exhaustion that we feel under the surface that no one can see. My guest on this series about the performative nature of high functioning anxiety is no stranger to the Swan Effect. In part one of this podcast, Lou Blaser from the Second Breaks Podcast and I talked about the Swan Effect and what it feels like to be calm on top and yet paddling like mad, metaphorically, underneath. We also discussed when Lou realized she needed help and what therapy taught her about anxiety and depression. On today’s episode, Lou and I continue the conversation around the performative nature of high functioning anxiety with Lou. For her, learning to recognize that tendency is a sign that her depression and anxiety have spiked and that she needs to step up her self-care. If you feel like no matter how anxious you are that you need to appear on top of it, this episode is for you. And don’t miss part one, which you can listen to here. Listen to the full episode to hear: Why sharing your anxiety is so hard and finding the right pair of ears is essential The sneaky ways we sabotage ourselves Why therapy isn’t a fix-all and the disappointment in realizing Lou won’t be magically fixed The power of self-loyalty and changing how Lou had her own back was so important Learn more about Lou Blaser: secondbreaks.com Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach in Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment–without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am – 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you or click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching.
Well, we made it to 2021! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I know I’m excited to be back at the podcast after a short break. One of the most challenging aspects of High Functioning Anxiety is the Catch-22 of the positive affirmations you receive for being so on-it and accomplishing so much versus the overwhelm and exhaustion you feel under the surface. Does this sound familiar? This Catch-22 causes those of us with HFA to be extremely performative in how we approach our lives. The never-let-them-see-you-sweat idea permeates everything we do. On today’s episode, I’m going to go deep into the performative nature of high functioning anxiety and talk with Lou Blaser from the Second Breaks Podcast. Lou was kind enough to agree to come on and talk about her experience with anxiety and depression. Lou and I refer to that Catch-22 as The Swan Effect: you look beautiful and calm on the outside but underneath the surface you are paddling like crazy. I am so excited for you to hear this interview. This is part one of this conversation with Lou. Check back next week for part two! Listen to the full episode to hear: When Lou realized she needed help What therapy taught her about anxiety and depression The signs for Lou when she needs to step up her self-care practices How both our larger culture and the culture of the corporate world keep us stuck in performing. Learn more about Lou Blaser: secondbreaks.com Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach in Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment–without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am – 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you or click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching.
About a month ago, I challenged myself to a month of practicing meditation. As I shared in Part One of this series, I didn’t have a consistent meditation practice prior to this experiment. In fact, I was pretty resistant to it in the first place. (Be sure to go back and listen to this episode if you haven’t yet!) But I was inspired to give meditation another try because of all the stress and anxiety in the world right now. As I share in the episode, I made it to 30 days of practicing meditation and mindfulness. Technically, it was two weeks of meditation and two weeks of mindfulness—and I get into why I broke it into chunks like this in the episode. Of course, I had to invite my friend and podcast producer, Sean McMullin of Yellow House Media, back to the show to chat with me about my experience. As you heard in the first part of this series, Sean is someone who not only knows me well—but he also has a meditation practice of his own and I figured he’d be the perfect person to keep me accountable. I learned so much from this experience and I learned even more through my conversation with Sean. Listen to the full episode to hear: What went well and what didn’t go well in my meditation and mindfulness experiment The role my BFF and my Monger played in the experiment Sean and I discuss the role of neuro-diversity, rules, and rigidities and how something as small as closing my eyes became a HUGE stumbling block for me in my practice What my meditation and mindfulness plans look like moving forward Learn more about Sean McMullin: Yellow House Media Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Resources mentioned in this episode Headspace Meditation App The Real Point of Meditating by Mike Sturm on Medium The Science of Mindfulness | Dr. Ron Siegel | Talks at Google The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker --- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
As if navigating the holidays wasn’t already hard enough, 2020 has turned our holiday traditions on their head. In my family, we’re making some tough decisions about the holidays, and emotions are running high. We’ve already canceled our traditional Thanksgiving trip to Chicago to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins—and it looks like we’ll need to reimagine our Christmas as well, which has been pretty much the same my whole life. Making decisions this year has been hard. I’m sure you feel it, too. Do we have a holiday celebration with family? Do we travel? Do we stay home and have a virtual get together? Do we need to change how we do things at all? It’s tough and the decision fatigue is real. In a quest to make the holiday decision-making process as easy as possible (or at least a little bit easier), I wanted to talk with Decision Engineer and Coach, Michelle Florendo. Michelle specializes in helping people untangle messy decisions in life and work. After studying decision engineering at Stanford University, she spent the past 15 years helping hundreds of professionals use the principles of decision engineering to make decisions with less stress and more clarity. Listen to the full episode to hear: How we make decisions How decision fatigue is a thing more than ever this year and how to deal with it to make life a little easier Tips on dealing with all the emotions that come up around COVID and the holidays Ways to navigate the constantly changing information we’re getting around COVID Why it’s important to honor the feelings that keep coming up and treating them as data Learn more about Michelle Florendo Michelleflorenda.com Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn Follow Michelle on Instagram Learn more about Nancy Jane Smith: Live Happier Through The Holidays Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Instagram: @nancyjane_livehappier --- Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you
For many of us with High Functioning Anxiety, we have a hard time noticing when we are anxious. Our anxiety is usually swimming around in our heads WELL before we consciously notice it. For me, I can say I’m fine, I’m not feeling anxious then poof—I explode at my husband for leaving something out of place and realize how high my anxiety is and I didn’t even realize it. In a similar vein, my clients tell me their HFA shows up when they can’t sleep at night because of their racing thoughts. The truth is: we all have default patterns we fall into. Many of us have “go-to” behaviors to express our anxiety that we either inherited genetically or that we learned from a young age: behaviors we engage in and beliefs that we get stuck on. Some of these patterns might be overeating, overthinking, people-pleasing, insomnia, over-analyzing, or assuming you are wrong. HFA is sneaky—and it shows up in the most strange and uncomfortable ways. To illustrate, I decided to record the times when my anxiety was exceptionally high this past weekend. My goal was to share what was happening—and how I felt about it—so you could get a behind the scenes look at how HFA plays out in your life and what to do about it. Listen to the full episode to hear: The 6 situations that triggered my high functioning anxiety and my response to them Healthier ways to approach your HFA—and why practicing A.S.K. to quiet your Monger is important (listen to this episode to learn all about the 3 steps of A.S.K.) What a wrestling match between your Monger and BFF can look like How many of my default patterns tie back to messages I swallowed as a kid Links: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Instagram: @nancyjane_livehappier -- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can with me through on-demand coaching!
The self-help industry is FULL of concepts that are meant to inspire you into a better version of yourself—go big or go home, love yourself, rewrite your past—but what happens when they’re overused and lose all their meaning? How can they then motivate you to live happier and more fulfilled? And what about self-compassion? I remember reading Tara Brach’s book, Radical Acceptance, where she tells a story about a woman’s mother who was dying. On her deathbed, the mother opened her eyes and said, “You know, all my life I thought something was wrong with me. What a waste.” I can still remember where I was when I read that line. At that time self-compassion was NOT a part of my life. In fact, it was the exact opposite: I believed something was wrong with me and I was constantly looking for the fix. Kind of the opposite of self-love and self-compassion. The bright side is that one line prompted my quest to figure out what self-compassion was and how it looked for me. It was a cautionary tale—and I swore I would figure out a way to be kinder to myself. In today’s episode, I’m bringing you a conversation with my childhood minister, Gary Ritts. We started our conversation with self-compassion and went down a number of avenues beyond it into grace, empathy, Brene Brown, sympathy, loving relationships, and kindness. This is one of my favorite episodes I have ever recorded and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Listen to the full episode to hear: How self-compassion is radical self-care and what self-compassion can look like Ways that self-compassion can look for different people—and how to find ways to recharge yourself so you feel more complete and fulfilled Why compassion and self-compassion are a choice that requires practice by learning and doing How grace is something that is given to us—and why we can choose to accept it, even if we don’t think we are worthy Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
For those of us with high functioning anxiety, the voice of our inner Monger is loud. It’s the voice that tells us we’ll never succeed. It’s the voice that tells us we’re an imposter and we’re mere moments away from being found out. It’s an internal voice of belittling and nastiness. It consistently makes us feel like we aren’t enough. For those of us with exceptionally loud Mongers, we can’t WAIT for the day that our Monger disappears. And while we’d like to silence that inner critic once and for all, what happens if you feel like you’d never get anything done without your Monger? What do you do then? That’s exactly what my dear friend Jamie told me… and it sparked an epiphany. I needed to get to the root of why my own Monger was so belittling, shaming and mean—and why I believed that I needed that voice. In this episode, Jamie and I are chatting about her anxiety and how her Monger shows up in her life and ways your Monger might show up in your life, too. To learn more about the Monger, listen to Episode 110: The Voices In Your Head—The Monger and click here to read more about the Monger on my website. Listen to the full episode to hear: How Jamie brings her own sense of humor to the many rules and rigidities we have in dealing with our anxiety The different ways that our Monger can show up: mean and relentless or critical and pushy and ways our Monger can shame us and keep us stuck in all areas of our lives How Jamie realized that her Monger would never fully go away but instead she could make her part of the team Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
What is happy? This is a loaded question—but it’s something I want to explore in this episode because happiness is the #1 thing my clients say they want. But how do we get to happiness? What is the path there? Lately, I’ve been on a quest to go deeper. To ask questions. To get clear. In episode 153, I explored how asking and studying into a question helps you to really get to the heart of the issue. What does happiness look like? What does happiness feel like? How will we know when we’ve reached happiness? For this episode, I decided to ask some of the people in my life—my mom, my second mom, my nephews, and my friend Andrew, who is a philosophy professor at Otterbein University—what they think about happiness and you’ll hear their ideas throughout the show. As you’re listening to this episode, I challenge you to ask yourself: what is happy for you? Listen to the full episode to hear: How happiness is fleeting and is a feeling we have, just like sadness and anger. It isn’t a state of constant being How to give ourselves grace and relieve ourselves of the pressure that we should be happy all the time—and if we aren’t happy, there must be something wrong with us Examples of what makes people happy from reading in peace, creating something, and spending time with family Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach In Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.
I don’t have a meditation practice of my own. In fact, I’m pretty resistant to it. I have a lot of rules around meditation and I’m pretty rigid in how I think about it. But, with all the stress in the world recently and my own anxiety, I thought it might be helpful to revisit meditation. Meditation, after all, puts our anxiety front and center. It encourages us to make space for it so that we can soften our feelings of anxiousness and stress. Maybe it could help? That’s why I decided that doing an experiment would be a lighthearted and fun way to reintroduce meditation back into my life. Plus, it would be a space for play and exploration rather than rules. In this episode, I sit down with my friend Sean McMullin of Yellow House Media, who is the producer of this podcast, to talk about experimenting with meditation and mindfulness. Sean’s been practicing meditation for nine months at the time of recording and is light years ahead of me—and he also understands my blocks and resistance to meditation. Listen to the full episode to hear: The moment when Nancy realized that she needed to start adding meditation into her morning routine Sean’s experience with daily meditation plus how long his meditations were when he first started and how long they are today Nancy and Sean explore the reasons behind why people meditate, why they don’t, and common expectations (like meditation is going to make everything easier in life) How people with high functioning anxiety might struggle with establishing a daily meditation habit and what to do about it Learn more about Sean McMullin: Yellow House Media Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Resources mentioned in this episode Headspace Meditation App The Real Point of Meditating by Mike Sturm on Medium The Science of Mindfulness | Dr. Ron Siegel | Talks at Google The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker --- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
How often are you apologizing, regardless if you hurt someone or if the situation truly necessitated an “I’m sorry”? People-pleasing includes a lot of apologizing, and it doesn’t always express what we really mean which, sometimes, isn’t so much I’m sorry as it is I’m so thankful. I used to say I’m so sorry all the time. I’d apologize for everything—even when it’s not really what I meant. Here’s an example from my own life. When I published my book, The Happier Approach, some of my friends and family hosted book parties in their homes. One of my dear friends from high school, Renee Mattson who spoke on the podcast about how to avoid passing your anxiety onto your kids (here’s part one and part two), hosted one of these events. She invited me to her house a little early so we could have lunch together. When I arrived, Renee realized she’d forgotten to think about lunch. As she was running around the kitchen, prepping leftovers, I started to feel bad. She went into all this trouble—hosting an event for me—and now she’s serving me lunch! My Monger was having a field day with this. As the words “I’m so sorry you had to make me lunch” came out of my mouth, I caught myself and simply said: “Thank you so much for making lunch. I know it wasn’t easy and I really appreciate it.” Renee’s face lit up and she said, “you are so welcome, I’m so glad you came early. I know it’s just leftovers but it gives us a chance to talk and catch up.” In that moment, I realized that by saying thank you—which is what I truly meant—it allowed me to appreciate Renee, allowed her to feel appreciated, and empowered both of us. Had I apologized instead and said my 3 favorite words, “I am sorry”, then she would have apologized for throwing together leftovers and all the things that we people pleasers apologize for and we would have both left the conversation feeling disempowered. Today on the show, my guest Amy E. Smith and I are talking about people-pleasing and how saying I’m sorry all the time is just one of the ways that people-pleasing shows up in our lives and how it disempowers us and keeps us disconnected from the people in our lives. Amy is a certified confidence coach, masterful speaker, and personal empowerment expert. Founder of TheJoyJunkie.com, Amy uses her roles as coach, writer, podcaster, and speaker to move individuals to a place of radical personal empowerment and self-love. Listen to the full episode to hear: What people-pleasing is and how you can be a strong, high achiever and still be a people pleaser (raising my hand here) My own story about people-pleasing that took place at the Brene Brown daring Way training I attended and how I handled it (or didn’t handle it) HOW to speak up for yourself and HOW to start building your inner strength around self-loyalty and worthiness. Amy’s metaphor for self-worth which is gold Learn more about Amy E. Smith: TheJoyJunkie.com Follow Amy on Instagram Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach In Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.
Frequently we will ask ourselves—why am I unhappy? But the key component is the question underneath the question. What is making you unhappy? Or better yet, what would you know if you were happy? A friend, former guest, and storytelling expert, Hillary Rea, shared that it might come down to asking a more beautiful question—a question that helps you get to the heart of the question to uncover the answer. Often, Hillary uses the phrase—ask a more beautiful question—to prompt her to get to the heart of an issue. Throughout my own experiences, I’ve found that the beautiful question is usually underneath the question that’s important and so today’s episode is a study into the question underneath the question concept. I’m talking with Kim Strobel who’s a happiness and empowerment coach and the founder of Strobel Education. As a leadership consultant and happiness coach, Kim helps businesses, organizations, and high-achievers prioritize their health and well-being so they can reach new levels in their business and their life. And as a result, businesses and organizations take massive actions and create positive change in every area. Listen to the full episode to hear: The conventional happiness formula and how it keeps us stuck Adding gratitude and affirmations into your life in a helpful way (you know I have some opinions about these 2 concepts so Kim and I break it down for you!) How Kim’s panic disorder affected her life, how she overcame it, and what happened when it reared its ugly head again How the process of learning to live with her panic disorder helped bring her happiness Learn more about Kim: www.KimStrobel.com www.StrobelEducation.com The She Finds Joy Podcast She Finds Joy on Facebook Follow Kim on Instagram Follow Kim on Twitter Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach In Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.
I didn’t always know I wanted to be a therapist. It took me a while to ADMIT it out loud that I wanted to be a therapist (I was 34 before I got my license). I honestly have a love-hate relationship with the world of therapy and psychology. It endlessly fascinates me—and yet the industry as a whole is notoriously dysfunctional and, at times, archaic. At 25, I was getting ready to start my second year of my Masters in Counseling. I had registered for classes and was less than a week from starting when out of the blue, I decided to drop out. I still remember walking from my apartment to the registrar’s office to withdraw. It was a totally irrational decision and 100% based on my gut which was SCREAMING at me to withdraw. I didn’t know why… I just knew I couldn’t go back and continue my studies. Seven years later, 4 different jobs, and after completing a different Masters’ Degree, I decided to complete my studies and earn my Masters in Community Counseling. This was also a gut decision—and a particularly amazing one because miraculously, I re-enrolled just under the deadline where I would have had to start my studies over. What happened in those 7 years? A lot of my own work, my own soul searching, my own therapy, and a commitment to doing it differently. Committing to doing therapy differently was how I could ultimately make the choice to continue the work and it’s why I’m here today. It’s rare that I meet another therapist who has this same commitment which is why I was so excited to bring you my conversation with Riva Stoudt of Into the Woods Counseling. Listen to the full episode to hear: What inspired Riva to be a therapist The changes we would like to see in the therapy profession Positivity culture and how it can keep people from healing and making progress Tips on finding a good therapist Learn more about Riva: Into the Woods Counseling Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach In Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.
For those of us with anxiety, it’s pretty common to go into research mode and ask ourselves: why am I feeling this way? And if you already enjoy thinking, analyzing, and solving problems like me, well, then thinking and researching why you’re anxious is your go-to pattern. When I was writing my book, The Happier Approach, I learned that my default pattern—researching and asking why—didn’t actually serve me. The solution to my anxiety had nothing to do with the why. So what’s the solution to anxiety if it isn’t figuring out the why? Honestly, I was a little disappointed by the answer. It’s about getting into your body. Moving from exploring our thoughts and opening up to our bodies is very hard for many of us. We live in our heads. We forget we have bodies. But what happens when our bodies have a lot to tell us about our experiences—and we don’t listen? In Episode 149, I talked with Nicole Lewis-Keeber about the t-word: trauma. In this episode, I’m talking with yoga psychotherapist and founder of Whole Health Collaborative, Sarah Dionne all about getting out of our heads and into our bodies and how we store trauma in our bodies. Listen to the full episode to hear: Sarah’s unique blend of yoga and therapy and what it means to be a yoga psychotherapist The false belief that stopping the thoughts will stop the experience How ignoring our bodies and criticizing ourselves is an act of violence against ourselves The importance of compassion and how it is key to everything Learn more about Sarah Dionne: wholehealthcollab.com Connect with Sarah on Pinterest Follow Sarah on Instagram Follow Sarah on Facebook Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach In Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.
Your past matters—even though the personal growth industry is obsessed with the future you at the expense of the past you. In that world, the only real change and movement in your life come from looking forward, setting goals, and just doing it as I talked about in Episode 148. But I believe that it’s OK to have a past. It’s OK to be perfectly imperfect. It’s OK to share stories from your past. It’s OK to have trauma and pain in your past. It’s OK to have a joyful past, too. The bottom line? You cannot ignore your past. If you do, it will creep up on you in the personification of your Monger as your parents or in the way you talk to your kids or how you interact with your spouse. Your past plays a role in your current life—period. It’s immensely powerful to face our stories—to look them dead in the face and slowly release their power through patience and compassion for ourselves. That’s how you live happier. Listen to the full episode to hear: The first step in the process of not letting your past control your life Practical ways to move through the stories from your past that are holding you back Why we often tell our stories like a news bulletin—drama and all—and how we need to focus more on how something made us feel How you can learn from your past and make peace with it Links: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Instagram: @nancyjane_livehappier -- Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.
Trauma. This word is loaded for so many of us. When we think of trauma, we think of what we call Big T Traumas: images of war, combat, natural disasters, physical or sexual abuse, terrorism, or catastrophic accidents usually come to mind. There are also Little T Traumas. These are often personally traumatic because of the timing, the place, or our emotional state: interpersonal conflict, divorce, infidelity, legal trouble, financial worries, moving, and many more. Although something could be considered a “Little T” Trauma, that doesn’t mean it’s less traumatic or less damaging. Instead, it allows us to see the word trauma in a different way and realize that it can take on many shapes and forms. Today on the show, I’m kicking off the month by chatting with Nicole Lewis-Keeber. Nicole is a business therapist and mindset coach who works with entrepreneurs to create and nurture healthy relationships with their businesses. She's a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Masters in Social Work and has a rich and varied experience as a therapist. Listen to the full episode to hear: Nicole’s definition of big T trauma and little t trauma and how big T trauma explodes and little T trauma erodes How the personal development culture keeps us trapped by discouraging us from looking at our past Why the phrase “inner child” has gotten so much flack and why being willing to listen to your inner kiddo is so important How our inner kiddos come out in our present-day work and wreak havoc and what we can do about it Nicole’s tips for finding a quality coach or therapist Learn more about Nicole Lewis-Keeber: nicole.lewis-keeber.com Follow Nicole on Facebook Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Coach In Your Pocket Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you.
Go big or go home. Dream big! Do big things. That’s what all the self-help gurus and Pinterest tell us to do. But is it really the answer? We can all think of a time where we thought that going big—moving somewhere new, going after that new career, or buying the awesome house or car—would be the solution to all of our problems. Yet more often than not, we find that those big moves aren’t the answer to our inner happiness nor our problems. I’ve found in my own experience as well as working with clients that doing the inner work and facing our humanness is what we need to do first. That’s where the true big adventure lies. All this month, I’ve been talking about Being Human. I spoke with Tara McMullin in Episode 145 about being human in your business and with Sarah Kathleen Peck in Episode 146 about getting unstuck and out of your own way. In today’s episode, I want to expand a bit on the unstuck theme and how our tendency as people with High Functioning Anxiety is to do two things: 1) give up on getting unstuck and keep swallowing the dream of being superhuman, and 2) continually look for that easy fix. Listen to the full episode to hear: My experience with chasing after a big dream to move to Portland and what I learned by facing my Monger, setting healthy boundaries, and stop turning my back on myself and building my own self-loyalty How facing the hard stuff in your life can be full of adventure and learning What to do and what it means when you want to Blow It All Up Why going big means fully showing up as a human being Links: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Instagram: @nancyjane_livehappier -- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
Have you been feeling a bit stuck lately, wondering what comes next? Saying to yourself that there has to be more? If so, you’re not alone. That’s because I’ve been asking myself these questions lately, too. I’ve noticed that whenever I’m in this place for too long, it usually means I’m looking for the “right answer.” I’m trying to find the “perfect” next step. I’m wrapped up in fear, doubt, and insecurity. Those feelings are not uncommon when you’re stuck. But when it becomes a pattern—fear, doubt, and insecurity lead to staying stuck and staying stuck leads to those feelings—that’s when getting out of your own way gets tricky. This month, I’m continuing this month’s theme of Being Human with Sarah Kathleen Peck. Sarah is the founder and CEO of Startup Parent and the host of The Startup Parent Podcast, where she helps working parents try to navigate everyday insanity. Listen to the full episode to hear: There are two types of people: those who know what they want and they’re having a hard time going after it and those who are stuck and don’t know what they want Why we all know the answer to what comes next—we just need to get out of our own way What I really want to do and how I keep getting in my own way How our culture has brainwashed us into pushing, pushing, pushing when sometimes the best thing to do is pull back Learn more about Sarah: startuppregnant.com Follow Sarah and Startup Parent on Instagram Follow Sarah and Startup Parent on Twitter How To Get What You Want course (use this link half off!) Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching!
Does this sound like you? Your to-do list is a mile long—yet, logically, there’s no way you could complete it; you drive yourself so hard, pushing, hustling, head down working toward a goal—and beat yourself up when you don’t reach it. You might even sacrifice sleep and your own well-being in pursuit of this goal. If so, then your Monger might be running the show and holding you to an impossible superhuman standard. Your Monger convinces you that you have to do these things. There is no choice. You push yourself day in and day out in pursuit of a goal or fantasy version of what your life is “supposed to be”—because if you don’t attain the life your Monger is pushing you towards, then you just don’t have what it takes to be happy. If you gave yourself permission to pause and reflect on how your Monger holds you to these impossible standards, you might ask yourself: who set the goal I’m hustling so hard for? And if it is actually my goal, is that goal still serving me or even something I want to be pursuing? When we have spent our whole lives with the belief that we can be superhuman if we only hustle harder, how do we embrace a life of imperfection and acceptance? In this week’s episode, I’m talking about how to deal with our Monger who is constantly pushing us towards the impossible and ways to embrace our humanness. And, if you missed last week’s episode, we kicked off this month’s conversation with Tara McMullin who shared her experiences with Being More Human in her business. Go check it out. Listen to the full episode to hear: How our Monger and our BFF keeps us in such rigid thinking that we miss the possibilities that being human brings 3 ways being human is more helpful than the quest to be superhuman Why self-loyalty is the ultimate act of being human Links: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website Instagram: @nancyjane_livehappier -- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can with me through on-demand coaching!
Being human is messy and imperfect—and, we’re bound to make mistakes. It’s part of the deal. We’re not going to get everything right, every time. But we learn as we go. That’s what being human is all about. For some, being human—the messiness of it—is totally anxiety-provoking. It makes things feel harder to do and accomplish. But what if embracing your humanness could actually result in more ease and more success… with a whole lot less anxiety to boot? Is it possible? Not only is it possible, but it is also achievable through tiny, small changes we can make to our everyday lives. And all this month, I’m going to go deep into how to embrace our humanness and discuss what it means to be human. Today, I’m kicking off the Being Human theme with one of my business mentors, Tara McMullin. We talk about how for Tara bringing her humanness into her life has made some huge shifts with her business, relationships, and mental health. Tara is a podcaster, small business community leader, and speaker. She’s been helping small business owners find what works for them for over a decade. Tara’s goal is to push past the hype so she can better facilitate candid conversations about doing business in the New Economy. Listen to the full episode to hear: How Tara’s quest to be more human has enhanced and enriched her life How hearing about High Functioning Anxiety gave Tara some real ah-ha’s The relationship between depression and HFA Tara’s morning ritual that helps her with her HFA Learn more about Tara McMullin: explorewhatworks.com The What Works Podcast Follow Tara on Instagram Follow Tara on Twitter Learn more about Nancy: Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- The Happier Approach Book I’ve been working with women like you living with hidden anxiety every day for over 20 years as a coach and counselor. I wrote The Happier Approach to give you a framework for dealing with your anxiety and start living happier. The Happier Approach will help you understand the voices in your head and what to do with them. It’s not another woo-woo self-help book that asks you to think positively and live your best life. It’s a practical guidebook for getting out of survival mode and finding a genuinely happy and productive life. Know someone who has High Functioning Anxiety and a VERY LOUD Monger, the Happier Approach makes a great gift. Find The Happier Approach on Amazon, Audible, or Barnes & Noble! And click here to learn more about how you can work with me through on-demand coaching
There is so much pressure to be the perfect parent. My clients tell me all the time that they consistently feel they have to be “perfect” and be all the things to their children. That anxiety infiltrates everything they do—and that anxiety can also impact their children. One thing we can do to decrease not only our own anxiety but our kids’ anxiety, too, is by being honest about what we have time for, what our expectations are, and own up when we fail. It’s important not only for our children but also for ourselves. This week, I’m continuing my interview with parenting expert and coach, Renee Mattson about anxiety in children and how as parents we can help raise our kids with more resiliency and less anxiety. If you missed it, I highly recommend listening to part one where Renee shared helpful ways to not pass along your anxiety to your children and why clear boundaries, empathy, and compassion are so important. Renee is the owner and founder of Child in Bloom, a coaching business for parents and teachers. She’s a mother of three, a licensed intervention specialist for children with specific learning and behavior needs, licensed educator for elementary and gifted children, parent coach, adjunct faculty member at Xavier University, and trainer and coach for educational professional development. Listen to the full episode to hear: Why it’s so important to follow your gut as a parent Creative ways to support our kids without accommodating them How to solve the ultimate problem: wanting to spend as much time with your children but not having any time Why putting your children ahead of your marriage can lead to increased anxiety Learn more about Renee Mattson: Child In Bloom Child In Bloom on Facebook Learn more about Nancy: What Happened to American Childhood? Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you
In these unprecedented times… In these uncertain times… Now more than ever… UGH. The language of 2020 is getting old. But it’s getting old because we are running out of words to describe the anxiety, overwhelm, fear, and uncertainty that we are living through right now in July of 2020. It’s not just anxiety-provoking for us as adults but also for the next generation. Statistics show that the strain of our world is taking a toll on our children. A few months ago, one of my clients asked if I’d seen the Atlantic article about childhood anxiety—they were convinced that they were totally messing up their kids! Of course, I read the article and it inspired me to reach out to parenting expert (and childhood friend of mine!) Renee Mattson. I wanted to find out her thoughts on how we’re impacting our kids and how we can better parent them through these anxious times. Renee is the owner and founder of Child in Bloom, a coaching business for parents and teachers. She’s a mother of three, a licensed intervention specialist for children with specific learning and behavior needs, licensed educator for elementary and gifted children, parent coach, adjunct faculty member at Xavier University, and trainer and coach for educational professional development. Listen to the full episode to hear: Helpful ways to not pass along your anxiety to your kids Why clear boundaries, empathy, and compassion are so important How a lack of time has made over accommodating an even bigger problem and how to approach it The idea that our children are craving an adult in the room and too often we treat them like mini-adults Learn more about Renee Mattson: Child In Bloom Child In Bloom on Facebook Learn more about Nancy: What Happened to American Childhood? Coach in Your Pocket The Happier Approach Book Live Happier Website --- Helping people with High Functioning Anxiety is a personal mission for me. I have a special place in my heart for this struggle because it’s both something I dealt with unknowingly for years, and because it silently affects so many people who think this is just how it is. Working with me this way is an incredibly efficient and effective way to deal with your anxiety in the moment--without waiting for your next appointment. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and Coach in Your Pocket is the most effective and most life-changing work I have ever done. My clients are consistently blown away by how these daily check-ins combined with the monthly face-to-face video meetings create slow, lasting changes that reprogram their High Functioning Anxiety tendencies over time. Over the course of the three-month program, we meet once a month for a face-to-face session via a secure video chat, and then throughout the entire three months, you have access to me anytime you are feeling anxious, having a Monger attack, celebrating a win, or just need to check-in, and I will respond to you during my office hours (Monday through Friday, 9 am - 6 pm EST). Ready to get started? Email me: nancyjane@live-happier.com and we’ll set up a free 30-minute consultation to see if this process is a good fit for you