The Rebellious Healer

#23 Being the “Weird One” Might Be What Saves You

• Season 5 • Episode 23

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0:00 | 13:07

If you’re trying to heal while still chasing what’s “normal,” you’re going to stay stuck.

Real healing requires you to be willing to be different — to think differently, act differently, and say no to what most people blindly accept.

In this episode, we explore:

  • Why true healing goes against the norm (and why that’s exactly the point)
  • How your fear of rejection is wired for survival — and how to override it
  • Why being misunderstood is often a sign that you’re on the right track

You don’t need more approval.
 You need more self-trust.
 And that starts with letting go of the need to fit in.

If you’ve ever felt like the odd one out on your healing journey, this episode will show you why that’s not a problem — it’s a requirement.

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SPEAKER_00

Today's episode is one you need to hear if you've ever felt like the odd one out. Like you're doing life, healing, or even motherhood differently than everyone else around you. Because the truth is, if you want to heal, you have to be willing to be different. And not just different in what you do, but different in how you think, how you respond, and what you no longer tolerate. Here's what we're diving into today: why this work goes against the norm and why that's actually a good thing. What it really means to say no to what's quote unquote normal, even when it makes people uncomfortable. And why being different is the path to healing, not a detour from it. Welcome to the Rebellious Healer, where we ditch the fear, decode the symptoms, and take healing into our own hands. I'm Jenny Peterson, a former holistic practitioner, turn symptom-free, mind body rebel. I help women break free from protocols and step into trust, confidence, and full body healing. If you're done with the rules, restrictions, and outsourcing your power, you're in the right place. Let's get into it. Let's just call it what it is. What's considered normal in our society is actually the fastest way to end up disconnected and sick. It's normal to dismiss emotions and power through. Call symptoms random or genetic or chase them with pills. Drink to relax. Judge people who don't follow the crowd. Think healing is about fixing broken parts of you. Treat the body like a machine and the mind like a trash can. Hyperfocus on what's wrong instead of exploring what's unresolved. And micromanage every symptom instead of understanding the deeper message. Normal says take a pill, suppress the symptom, control your environment so your body doesn't react. Go to another practitioner and hope they figure it out for you. This work, the work that I do, it says look inward, take ownership, rewire your subconscious, shift your patterns, step into your power. And if you're here, it's probably because that version of quote unquote normal has already failed you. So now you're on a different path, one that requires more from you, not more effort or more supplements, but more courage. Because this path is not for people who want to blend in. I want to share something that recently happened with my 15-year-old son. We were at a concert together, and we love that kind of thing. I'm all about music, dancing, social energy. I love having fun. But here's the part that gets tricky. For most people, fun is synonymous with alcohol or even drugs. So we're at this concert and my son gets offered a drink. Mind you, he's 15. And he was offered this drink by a grown-ass adult while I'm actually standing right next to him. He maybe he didn't know I was his mom, but regardless, it's very clear that my son is not 21. And it was like it was the most casual, normal thing to do. My son said no, but he said it in a way that you could tell that he was a little bit uncomfortable. He didn't stand very tall and say it loudly or, you know, just very clear. He kind of mumbled it, which I definitely understood that he was a little uncomfortable. This was his first time from what I am aware that he's ever been proposed this. And the man looked at him like he, my son, was weird. Like something was off about a teenager saying no to alcohol. And because my son kind of said it quietly and the guy kind of just stood there, I then said, No, he doesn't want to drink. And then the guy asked me, Well, what about mom? Do you want to drink? And I said, No, I don't drink either. And he looked dumbfounded. And I thought to myself, this is exactly what I teach. Not just with parenting, not just with healing, but with life. Saying no to what everyone else considers as normal will make people feel uncomfortable. I wasn't uncomfortable. My son was uncomfortable. This was his first time having to deal with this. But the guy asking the question, he was uncomfortable. But that doesn't mean you're doing something wrong. It means you're choosing something better. When you say no to what's normal, you will feel like the outsider, at least in the beginning. For me, now it's like, you know what, I don't really give a shit. I don't care what you think about what I'm doing. I'm here to have a good time. But when I was younger, I too was uncomfortable doing that. You know, it took a while for me to feel really comfortable in my own skin, just be able to be there enjoying myself without having to get into what everybody else was doing. And people will ask questions. They'll judge, they'll laugh, they'll minimize what you're doing, and they'll assume you think you're better than them. But guess what? Most of them wish they had the strength to do what you are doing. Being different might cost you approval. It might cost you belonging in certain circles, but it will give you the one thing you actually want: freedom. Freedom from your symptoms, freedom from the stories that keep you small, freedom from the fear of what other people think. I've had to walk that line again and again, not just in these social environments, but in my healing, in my business now and in my business prior to this, and my personal life. And I will keep showing up, and I will keep showing my son what it looks like to stand your ground and not apologize for it. That's leadership, that's integrity, and that's rebellion in the best way possible. And the reason it feels so hard to be different, to say no, to stand out, to go against the norm, isn't because you're weak. It's because your brain is wired for survival. And for most of human history, survival meant fitting in with the tribe. If you were the odd one out, the one who questioned things, the one who said no while everyone else said yes, that didn't just make you uncomfortable, it made you unsafe. So even today, when your life isn't actually on the line, your subconscious still carries that same wiring that being rejected equals being dangerous. Being different means being alone, and being alone equals death. It's primitive, it's real. That's why this fear runs so deep, and why most people avoid it by staying in the normal lane, even if that lane leads them straight into burnout, anxiety, and symptoms. But here's the rebellious truth. You're not here to survive anymore. You're here to heal. And that means you have to override that old wiring, not by force, but by repetition, by choosing again and again to stand in your truth, even when it feels risky. The fear of rejection isn't going to go away overnight. But every time you say no to something that doesn't align and you survive it, you show your subconscious that it's safe to be different. And that, that's what's healing. And let's be honest, this work that I teach and this work that I do isn't sexy. It's not trendy. It's not something you can post on Instagram with this perfect caption and be holding a green juice and have a big smile on your on your face. It's quiet. It's internal. It's often misunderstood. This is the work of undoing subconscious patterns, regulating survival responses, and giving your body the message that it's safe now. That's not something most people around you will understand, at least not now. Not saying things aren't getting better, but we are not in a place where everybody understands this. I don't know if I'll be alive to ever see that. But it doesn't fit into society's framework of what healing is. In fact, the moment you stop needing validation from people who aren't doing this work is the moment your healing accelerates. Here's the thing: trying to heal by fitting in is like trying to detox while still drinking poison. Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean it's working. Let them keep sipping. You're clearing the path. And if you're waiting for people around you to quote unquote get it before you fully commit to your healing, you're going to be waiting a long time. You don't need to convince anyone. You don't need to explain. You don't need to justify. You just need to lead. And leadership, especially in healing, means being willing to be misunderstood. There are so many times in my journey where I wanted people to approve of what I was doing. I wanted them to cheer me on and say, wow, that's amazing. I wish I had your courage. Instead, I got, are you sure that's safe? What you do is weird. It's woo-woo. Isn't that kind of extreme? Why don't you just take something for it? I didn't need their permission. I needed my own. Every time you say no to the norm, you say yes to your future. You don't rewire your subconscious by following the crowd. You don't build safety in your body by staying small and quiet. You don't heal by trying to be palatable. You heal by becoming the version of you that doesn't need everyone's approval to feel safe. If you want to heal, you have to let people think you're weird. You want to know what holds so many people back from healing? It's not their condition. It's not their genetics. It's not even their habits. It's their attachment to being normal. If you're still trying to fit in with the culture that made you sick, you're going to sabotage every step of your healing. You have to let yourself be weird. Let yourself stand out. Let yourself be the one who says no to things everyone else says yes to. The one who leaves the party early, the one who brings their own food, the one who doesn't need alcohol to dance, the one who questions everything. Because healing isn't about being liked, it's about being free. So let's reflect a little bit. I want you to sit with these three questions. Number one, where in your healing journey are you still trying to be quote unquote normal? Number two, who were you afraid of offending or losing if you fully step into your truth? Number three, what would your healing look like if you didn't need anyone to understand it but you? These questions matter. Because healing doesn't happen in a bubble, it happens in context. And if your context is rooted in fear of rejection, you'll keep defaulting to safety over truth. So here are my final words. If you're here to heal, like really heal, then you're here to lead, to challenge the old systems, to become someone new, not go back to the quote-unquote old you. But to rise into the version of you that can hold healing, joy, freedom, peace, and power, all without apology. And that version of you, she's not afraid of being different. In fact, she thrives in it. Alright, so let's recap the three takeaways from this episode. Number one, this work isn't normal. And that's the point. If the normal made you sick, you don't want to go back there. Healing is found in rebellion. Number two, being different is uncomfortable, but necessary. The need to fit in is often the very thing that blocks your growth. Healing requires bold choices. And number three, you are showing others what's possible. Every time you say no to what's normal, you give permission for someone else, including your children, to live differently too. If this episode spoke to you, share it with someone who needs that reminder that they're not crazy, just courageous. You can be different. You must be different. And I promise you'll be better for it. Until next time, keep leading your healing.