The Real Reason You Don’’t Trust Yourself Yet (It’s Your Nervous System)

Your nervous system might be the real reason you feel stuck.

On today’s episode, I sit down with Ayurvedic health counselor, somatic stress release practitioner, resilience coach, and host of the Nourished Nervous System Podcast, Kristen Timchak.

Instead of forcing yourself to push harder, Kristen shares how understanding your nervous system, stress response cycle, and connection to nature can help you move from overwhelm into clarity, peace, and aligned action.

She has also built a thriving business and had a baby at 42 — this woman is amazing!

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why so many spiritual entrepreneurs struggle to trust themselves
• How starting a podcast helped Kristen step fully into her path
• The powerful connection between Ayurveda, somatic healing, and nervous system resilience
• Why community and collaboration are essential for healing
• The identity shifts that come with motherhood and personal transformation
• How small daily practices can dramatically reduce stress and restore clarity

Plus, Kristen guides us through a powerful nervous system grounding practice you can do anytime you feel overwhelmed.

If you’ve been craving more inner peace, self-trust, and alignment in your life or business, this episode is for you.

Check out Elysia’s episode on Kristen’s podcast https://www.nourishednervoussystem.com/nourished-nervous-system-podcast/elysia-skye

Receive Kristen’s Free Gift

Weekend Nervous System Reset
https://www.nourishednervoussystem.com/weekend-nervous-system-reset

Connect with Kristen

https://www.nourishednervoussystem.com

Connect with and Work with Elysia

https://www.elysiaskye.com

Join Elysia’s New and Full Moon Divine Direction Calls
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Theme song music “Sweet” by Kalen Chase
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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So many of us are trying to keep up with life while quietly carrying stress in our bodies, our minds, and our energy without ever being taught how to truly reset. So, because of that, and everything you've been feeling lately, like the whole weight of the world is on your shoulders, I'm sitting down with Kristen Timchek. She's an Ayurvedic health counselor, a somatic stress release practitioner, and host of the Nourished Nervous System podcast, which I was on, whose work helps people restore balance, reconnect with their bodies, and build real resilience in their nervous system. I'm bringing her on today because I know, because you follow the show, that you want to feel more grounded, more connected to yourself, and more supported in your own healing. So you are in the right place. So take time to watch this entire episode. She's even going to do a meditation towards the end. Let's get into it. Kristen was so kind to me today because I needed to delay our start time because I was meditating and I started channeling, which I do when I write. And this beautiful message came through. And it's really about spending more dedicated time with yourself in your self-care practice, in your spiritual practice, on your spiritual path, and to take such abundant care of your being. So it is perfect timing to have Kristen on this podcast today, everything she does and teaches. Before we get into it, I want to read to you and everyone what came through in my channeling today. So this is for everybody. It is time for you to spend more time with us, with your mind and heart open. Be fully immersed in your relationship with the voice of source. The Holy Spirit is in your awakened being. There is nothing to search or seek in your desire to experience a dream. We left a phone line open to you always. Never hang up, never disconnect. The line is open, always speaking love to your spirit, whispering comforts of home into the dream. Dream, sweet, loving dreams. The nightmare is part of the experience. But you've never been one for thrill rides. Step off, shake it off, walk strong in your spiritual path, aligned with God. Do not stray, do not forget. We want you to remember we are with you always. Remember your soul. Remember home. You are a miracle. We love you. Like, okay. Beautiful. So beautiful. Thank you. Thank you. And you know, growing up, Jewish and Buddhist, I always had such a resistance to any words that are more traditionally religious sounding. And when I was first studying a course in miracles, it's written with like all this Christian terminology. And I was like, what is this? Because it's not a Christian book. It's a forgiveness philosophy. And there's a glossary of terms in the back. And essentially when I looked up the Holy Spirit, it made so much sense to me. It's like, this is your phone line to source energy. I see it almost like a golden rod. It's like pick up the phone. Anytime you want to talk to your guides, your angels, anytime you want to phone home, like E.T., that's what the Holy Spirit is. And I know that's not the definition for the masses, but that's okay. That's not what this show is about. Welcome to the show, darling. Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. You're welcome. So many people who listen to the show are entrepreneurs, and many of them are healers and spiritualists and teachers. And I want to, before we get into the work work of what you do, I would love you to share a bit about how you trusted yourself enough to go down this path because so many people are scared to go all in on their own business and a practice of energy healing, essentially.

SPEAKER_02 3:47

I think I had dipped my toe into having my own business a few times before I actually got to this point of really stepping in. I dipped it in, but I also had that fear and that what if I fail? What if things don't work out? How why why am I why would anybody listen to me? And when I was 42, I had a baby. It was not totally planned. And it just changed everything in my life. So I was I was starting a herbal business at that time. And when I got pregnant, we moved houses. There was just a lot of upheaval, and I had to let go of that business. I just, my energy levels were really low. I needed to take care of myself. So I let go of that, had the baby, and when he was around two, I really started feeling this need to be following my path again. And I was just like, what am I going to do? I've been doing Ayurvedic work for many years. I've um it was right during the pandemic as well. So things were kind of shifting and moving online. So I wasn't seeing people in person the way I had been before. And I was talking with a therapist, and she was like, go back to your Ayurvedic work. She's like, go do something online. There's so many people who need this wisdom right now. There's so many people who need this healing. And so that planted a seed in me. But it took me a while to really cultivate that and actually feel the confidence to put it out there. And I think what really helped me was starting the podcast. Starting the podcast and just taking that big leap and saying, I'm just gonna do this. I have knowledge to share. I've been studying this stuff for a really long time. And I have really, really cool friends who do amazing things. So it felt like this great way to collaborate and put my message out there, but also be able to shine my light on other people's messages. And so that was the beginning for me of really getting stepping into my work. And I think what's been cool about it is it's just been this unfolding practice of what I visioned when I first visioned my business has changed and shifted as I've actually stepped on the path and started doing the business. And that's been really cool to surrender to my intuition, to just be in the service of what's actually wanting to come through and what's actually gaining traction. And so yeah, it's just been this really beautiful unfolding process. But I think it took for me just doing it, just doing it was like the best thing I could have done because I could think myself into a million different scenarios. But when I actually started doing it, that's when things became clear.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Wow. And that makes so much sense about when you say doing it, you chose let's go all in on the podcast. Because so many entrepreneurs are like, they got like octopus arms and then they're spread so thin. And when they don't have that one focus, that's gonna drive them into their own purpose over and over, going deeper and deeper into their soul's alignment, they get lost. And it's so smart, Kristen. You're like, I'm gonna do the podcast. And also for people who are unaware, it's it's a lot of work doing a podcast. You know, in addition to starting a business and, you know, doing Ayurvedic work and nervous system work, like you are here to do the bold stuff, the brave stuff. Your soul came in fearless and powerful. No wonder you had a soul agreement with your little boy to come in at 42. Because, oh my gosh. So I want to talk more about that in a little bit too. And um, because there are definitely women who are getting pregnant in their 40s and I love it and I am here for it. How did you stay motivated doing so much at such a rough time? That's a really good question.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

I think a piece of it was what I was learning about myself. There's that piece of every time I had somebody on my podcast and interviewed them, I learned, I learned something from them and something that fed my own practices and my own trajectory. And I also just see the podcast as this way. I'm really community-oriented. I really feel like in business I have an abundance mindset in the way that um I think there's enough for everyone. And I think the more that we raise each other up and connect and collaborate, I just think the more abundance is created for everyone. So I think just having the guests on my podcast and getting to connect with people and getting to be with uh my friends in a different way and also make meet new people and connect with them in this way that's so unique. Like when in your life do you get to just meet somebody right off the bat and then have this really deep conversation about what they do in the world? And it creates a rare intimacy and depth. And so I think those were the things that kept me motivated. It felt juicy to talk to people and to hear their stories and to hear what they're doing in the world. And with every episode, it helped me also get clear about what I'm doing. So it had the both of those facets.

SPEAKER_00 9:16

Amazing. So it's like you're almost receiving healing and coaching just by having incredible guests on your show. Totally. And now your audience and my audience get to receive that healing and coaching by listening to our shows. Yes, exactly. Beautiful. You know, I want to emphasize what you said about community because we are tribal animals. And we as a race of people were never meant to, you know, know really what's going on on the other side of the world when you look back, you know, even before cave, you know, I'm not even talking about caveman days. I'm talking about just us as beings, as community members, as family members. We're here to take care of each other. And now in this modern day of age, we can expand our community to as wide of reach as we want. But what is really still happening are the intimate relationships and conversations and support within those communities, no matter how big and far and massive and wide they may be. And if anyone feels like I can do this all on my own and I don't need community, and I've been burned before by asshole dudes or mean girls or whatever story we might have in our heads, listen to what Kristen is saying right now, because community is how we take care of each other. And I'm gonna quote my friend Andrea Quinn. The only reason any of us even exist are because two people came together and connected, right? Not that we want to, you know, put any gross images in our head of our parents and whatever. Okay, but it's that connection, it's conversations like this, it's meeting like spirited people on this planet that move us forward. We are not here to do it ourselves. Right. I agree 100%. Yes. Yeah, we can't do it ourselves. We can't. And I think, and you'll tell us more about this, but you know, yeah, as being a nervous system specialist, especially in Ayurveda, there must be so much unlearning to do for people who have either been isolated or chosen to be isolated that really messes with their nervous system. Definitely.

SPEAKER_02 11:33

So some of these areas that I think about are what we eat, what we put into our body, the food, the herbs, the medications that we take, moving our bodies, the our the way we feed our minds, what we are, meditation. Even in Ayurveda, we talk about digestion and not just the digestion of our stomachs, but the digestion of our sensory impressions. So everything that we take in from the world, all of the images, everything we read, listen to, watch, we have to digest that in our minds. And if we're taking in too much stuff that gunks up our minds, it's like creating like toxic sludge in our minds. So thinking about how we want to feed our minds, feeding our minds with beauty in nature, with beautiful images, with poetry, with things that really aliven the senses. So I think about that being an aspect of how we can care for our nervous systems. And then how we connect with spirit, whatever that looks like. Like you said, like there could be um religious connection, there could be just a spiritual connection, it could be a nature connection, but however you connect with something bigger. And then I also think about tending our spark, so creativity and learning, any ways that we can create and learn, it tends that that spark inside of us. And then I think community and relationship is a huge part of this. So this can be your close relationships, family, friends. It could be your larger community where you could live, but it can also be now that we have, as you mentioned, this online space, it can be the people that you connect with and create community with online. I also think that this can be the way we connect with animals, with pets. I think that there's still that love that's shared that's really important for our nervous systems. But yeah, I think all of these things help us to create more resilience. It's like creating a little net that's holding us so when things get hard or really stressful, we have something that we can fall back into.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

How beautiful. You essentially described life purpose. And I think about the Japanese term of ikigai, that when people truly commit to this practice, this Ayurvedic work, this nervous system, care and love, the tending to our being. I love how you describe just even how we digest our thoughts and the way that our mind works. I mean, it feels like, oh, there's a lot of pieces there, but we do all of this stuff every day anyway. It's just a shift in how we think and feel about ourselves, which takes a little practice, but it's not as hard as people think. And when you do that, what happens? It's optimum health and joy, right? Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 14:28

And like you said, it is a practice, and it can seem overwhelming at first when you look at it and then you kind of compare your life and it, but it's a constant practice. I've been doing this for a really long time, and there's still things that I'm like, ah, I could tweak that a little bit. But I think a big part of it is finding where there's joy, finding where there's where it really makes you feel alive. So instead of having to be this big to-do list of I have to do this self-care, I have to fit it in, but like, where is there five minutes you can take where maybe you'd be scrolling Instagram or doing something like that that you can sit and tune into your body and breathe and or like look out the window. Even if you live in a city, you don't have to live in nature, but there's always sky, there's always clouds, there's always birds flying. You can always find a little bit of nature to tune into. And it doesn't have to be a huge long thing. It can just be these little practices that you build up over time that really make a difference, that really help to like scoop the cups of stress off of your stress bucket so that you're not overflowing.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

I love that metaphor. And you mentioned animals earlier, and you know, I think about when I'm super stressed or having a moment or something didn't work out the way I wanted it to. And I have all these tools and I don't claim to be holier than thou. I'm human and I have my moments. But when I remember I can just hold my dogs, you know, who my one of my dogs meditates with me every day and chants with me every day. And my cat, he's 18 and a half, God bless him. Just like petting him and hearing him purr and remembering, like, I grew up with this guy. You know, I was 25 or 26 when I got him, you know, and I'm like, wow, look at this little man and feel his purr. Like by doing so, by having pets and animals in our home, we're bringing nature inside. So when you're talking about going and being with nature, yes, go outside as much as you can, even if it's freezing, even if it's grossly hot. But just by petting and holding your animals, you are experiencing nature. Yes, absolutely. Special. I would love to make sure that everyone understands the idea of Ayurveda because I feel like we've essentially encapsulated it in our conversation so far already. But what is Ayurveda?

SPEAKER_02 17:00

So, Ayurveda, it's a system of medicine that was developed in India thousands and thousands of years ago. It was transmitted through ancient seers and raishis, people who are studying scripture and it's being in meditative places. And so it was this transmission of information. And basically, what it is to really simplify it, is it's the fact that we are nature and that everything that's happening outside of us is also happening inside of us. So when it's cold and windy out, we call that vata dosha. There's vata is air and space. And so there's everything that you can imagine happening with there's cold and wind, things get drier, things get rougher, colder, maybe a little spacier. That can all happen inside of our bodies. Pitta is fire and water. So the heat that's happening outside, the qualities that are you associate with heat of sharpness, spreading, intensity, this can happen in our bodies in the seasons. So it's basically becoming more in tune with the rhythms of nature, the cycles and seasons of nature. And it can be very complex. There's you there's lots of ancient texts and lots of things that you can study, but it can be really as simple as noticing what's happening in your body, noticing the qualities. Are the qualities cold? Are they hot? Are they sharp? Are they rough? Are they sticky? Are they slow? And then balancing those qualities with the opposite. So if you're feeling cloudy in your mind and you're feeling slow and heavy and cold, having some ginger tea, getting some movement, bringing some heat and warmth can help to balance it. Same thing if you're feeling spacey and ungrounded and light and dry, putting some oil on your skin, bringing more oil into your diet. These are just some very simple things, but I think this is sort of the essence of Ayurveda. And one of the definitions that I love is to become situated in the self. So I think Ayurveda is really about throwing away the fad diets, throwing away the like trends. Those things can work for certain people at certain times, but they're not going to work for everyone. And really getting to know yourself and what help helps to keep you in balance.

SPEAKER_00 19:39

Oh, that thank you for that. That it feels really clear now, and it reminds me of so many moments where I feel a craving for something, and then I might logic myself out of it. But there's no reason to do that. You know, if our body is craving something, whether it's food or moisture or sunshine or whatever it might be, it doesn't have to make sense. We we are guided. And where does that guidance come from, Kristen?

SPEAKER_02 20:12

I think about it as the guidance comes from being connected with your life force. I think when you can become more connected with your life force in Ayurveda and yoga, we might call that prana. There could be other names for it, qi in traditional Chinese medicine. It could be related to your intuition. But I think when we're connected to our life force, then we can start to listen to our to our bodies and listen to ourselves more deeply.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

It's so true. And you combine this work with somatic work as well, don't you? I'd love to hear more about that. And if you could share with our viewers and listeners what is somatic, what is somatic practice?

SPEAKER_02 20:58

So the word somatic basically means of the body. So instead of being of the mind, it's of the body. And so it can mean a lot of different things. The work I do specifically is called somatic stress release. And so it's working with the stress response cycle, which is what happens when you encounter a stressor and you have the spike in the all of the hormones, adrenaline, cortisol, and then there's a kind of a wave that happens with it, and you you come back down into a more parasympathetic state. So you have like the rest and digest state come in. And that cycle needs to be completed. So so often in our, especially in our world today, where our stressors are like, oh, I got an email that I need to respond to right now, or like I saw something stressful on the news, or something happened in this meeting. And there's so many opportunities where we cannot complete that stress response. Cycle that we get kind of stuck in this up upregulated place and we can't do the whole completion and coming down. So a lot of it to complete it can include movement, moving your body in certain ways, shaking, breath work. There's a lot of different ways that we can work on moving that, completing that stress response cycle so that the stress isn't building up and creating havoc in your body. Because stress ultimately isn't a bad thing. Stress is a way that we adapt to the world around us. And what becomes problematic is when we have the chronic stress and we're not taking the scoop of cups off of that big pot of stress. So the somatic work, it's a lot about just learning how to tune in and listen to your body and see what it needs in each moment and doing whatever it is, whether it's a deep breath, whether it's a movement to help to move that energy and complete that cycle.

SPEAKER_00 23:00

I love the metaphor of the stress bucket. That's so good. It helps me to think about it. So good. And thank you for what you shared with those examples because it's so true. I got an email this morning. I was like, hey, can you meet tomorrow at 10 or 11 a.m.? And I didn't respond because I'm like, I'm gonna do my morning practice before I get into my emails and I'm pretty disciplined about it. But it's it's like I've allowed it to almost implant this micro stress of like, oh, I don't want to forget to respond. I'm not gonna forget. It's marked as unread in my email. I'll go back into my emails this afternoon and do my response time. But then I was thinking, well, gosh, if I don't get back to them till this afternoon, then tomorrow at 10 a.m. might already get booked for them and da-da-da. Maybe I need to respond now. And I'm like, oh my gosh, this is why going back to when I said we were never supposed to know the news of the world, right? It's like, uh, like. So yes, coming up, you're gonna walk us through a practice. We're gonna receive a beautiful gift from you in addition to your free weekend nervous system reset download and practice. So everybody stay tuned and keep listening because we are going to experience some of Kristen's healing and coaching, and you'll have an ongoing lifetime uh sample with her beautiful weekend nervous system reset. So before we get too much into that, I want to just go back to having a baby at 42. Can we just revisit that again real quick? Because one of my friends is 42 and she is pregnant. And similar to your story, it's like they weren't really planning it. It's a choice to have this child. And uh what an amazing choice you made. And I can only imagine, based on what you were talking about with your business and then moving, how difficult that time was. So I just want to like commend you and cheer you on and send you so much love and you five years ago send her love. Sometimes we send love to our inner child and that little girl inside of us that has been traumatized, but can we also just send love to the part of us that was stressed the hell out like five years ago or two years ago or one week?

SPEAKER_02 25:18

Yes, I love that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:21

Okay, so having a baby at 42.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

It was hard. Yeah, like you said, it was it was a choice, and I I'm so grateful for it because it was the thing that I really needed for me to like fully become me in a way. It like like becoming a mother is such a doorway to walk through. Where, especially in those first few years, you I felt like for me, I lost myself in a lot of ways and just became really consumed with this taking care of this tiny human. And and then this like me has emerged from it that's that's different than who I was before. So there's a grief process in grieving that person that I was five years ago before, six years ago, before having this child. But there's also this like I think of it as like a remembering, like remember. I'm re if you break up the word into re-enmember, I'm remembering myself in this way and creating myself anew with this human in my life. And yeah, I would say the things that have been hard are definitely energy levels. I definitely would have had a lot more energy if I had a child in my 20s. So that's a challenge. But besides that, I think it's actually a really beautiful time to have a child because I have lived my life. I had done so many things in my life. I felt really in a lot of ways, yeah, like I traveled a lot. I had had a lot of experiences that I may not have had if I had had a child in my 20s. So there was something really potent about having a child when I was 42. The other little thing I'll add in is my mother also had me when she was 41. So I had this, yeah, this model for it of having these parents who were older and very stable and very loving and very in themselves in a way. So it's been all the things, and I wouldn't trade it. And there are, to be completely transparent and honest, there are definitely times that I'm like, I miss having that time to myself. I miss having the time to do the hour and a half yoga practice, or to wake up in the morning and have a leisurely morning of doing my meditation practice in the morning pages or whatever it is. And there's ways that I think that metaphor of scooping the cups off of the bucket has just become a bit of a metaphor for my self-care practice as a mother, because there's not always the time to do the really big practices. And how can I continue to do my self-care all the time and take those scoops off? And it's like a mindset shift that I think a lot of parents have to step into.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

Wow. You know, knowing you even as briefly as I have, we've only known each other this year, but also listening to your show, it feels so in alignment that you are a mother. It's just in your blueprint. And I've had people say that to me, and I don't have kids, so I can I can resonate with that energy. Like just what a beautiful thing. And thank you for all that you shared and for being so transparent about it, because there are so many women who hear terms like geriatric pregnancy, and it gets harder after 40. And you know, a lot of that is um pressure and medicine and just some weird stuff out there. And I know so many women who have gotten pregnant, 30s, up to close to 50. Uh, one in their 50s, a friend of mine. And uh, and naturally, by the way, and of course, there's also intervention and whatever you might choose to do. But I remember when I was in my 20s and I was working full-time as a video producer, and I had a mentor meeting with someone in the producer's guild, and she was like, How old are you? And I think I was maybe 28 or something. She goes, Do you want kids? I go, Yeah, probably. And she goes, Well, you should freeze your eggs now. I was like, What? That's not what I thought she was gonna say, right? I was like, why? And she said, Because you're in a horrifically stressful industry. You're you work 12 to 16 hours a day. You don't have time for a family. So you're gonna work, you're gonna build your career, you're gonna win your awards. And by the time you actually have enough money and make the choice to slow down, you're gonna be in your mid to late 40s and it's gonna be harder. So freeze your eggs if you want to be a producer. I was like, I think I need a new job. Yeah, seriously. That's what I heard. And I was like, how many people did she give this advice to? And like, God bless her. Maybe a lot of people froze their eggs and they have their Emmys and they're happy, you know. But that wasn't what I wanted. And I was like, uh fuck, right? Loud and clear. People tell you loud and clear when you when you get uh when you have a job interview, when you meet them as a client, you know, here's here are the requirements of this industry. Here are the requirements of working with you, working with me, being in these relationships. And if we are open enough to listening, and if we are intuitive enough to allow ourselves to feel what we're hearing and experiencing, we can navigate our lives in a much better way. And you made beautiful choices. Yeah. Oh, girl. When you mentioned grieving, have going through that almost like a grief process of who you were before you had kids, that's so fair. And I think it's actually a beautiful thing for our children to know and find out about us one day. One, to appreciate how hard it is to be a parent, but also for them to inquire and get to know those parts of you that have changed and those parts of you that may re-emerge one day. And for so many women, it's connected to creativity and self-expression. And being a video producer for so long, I actually have had the privilege of producing two different makeover shows, like digital television shows, for moms who lost their identity. So I've had this conversation with so many different mothers, and it's almost like an epidemic. And but I get it, you know, it's like everything is it's let's keep this kid alive and happy. And if that means we don't see our girlfriends or, you know, or put on a cute outfit for five years, then so be it. But it doesn't always have to be that way. And I think when people practice and get to work with people like you and learn and understand so much of what you teach and help them with, they don't have to lose themselves when being a mother. Right.

SPEAKER_02 32:18

Yeah, I agree. I think, I mean, I think a part of the what reason that we often lose ourselves when we become parents or mothers is that our because of our family structure that we have, this nuclear family where there's just not a lot of support. And so everything is on the parents. And it just it's really, especially in those beginning years, it can be really stressful and just a lot. So I think, yeah, having support in whatever ways, we're not necessarily living in a tribal format anymore, but having your people, having your practitioners, having your friends, having just whatever ways that you can build support around you so that you can stay more intact and don't have to take everything on is so huge. And learning how to take care of yourself, learning how to connect with yourself still. I think that's been, as my son has gotten older, that's just been such a huge practice is just really connecting with myself and finding the places that I think one of the areas of my life that I grieve losing is like my wild self. I had this wild self that, and I mean wild in a way of connecting with nature, like where I would go and spend a whole day out in nature, hiking and swimming and doing all these things. And I just don't have that anymore. But how can I find the little pieces? Like, can I stop at a lake on my way to pick up my son and just like have like five minutes at the lake? Like, what are the little pieces that I can bring those pieces of myself back so that I'm not fully letting go of them?

SPEAKER_00 33:56

Yeah, that's a great practice. I would encourage everyone to meditate on that, journal on that. And I have a feeling your son has a wild side in the way you described, and uh you will be doing many outdoor adventures with this child. He does. He definitely does. Yeah. Yeah. So fun. One of my, you know, because I don't have kids, I'm a I'm I try to be a good auntie, and I always tell my friends, I'm like, I got dibs on the first Disneyland trip, and I got dibs on the first waterfall hike. And like I just, you know, I just I just went with my best friend and her two sons, and we hiked uh two different waterfalls in eastern Tennessee. And it was just so fun to watch them get excited about fireflies and right, yeah, it's it's so cute. And I'm I'm not like truthfully, I'm not that girl that's like, oh my God, let me hold your baby. Now, if there's a puppy or a kitten, that's a different story. And like, of course, I remember my friend said to me, This is gonna sound terrible because I really do like children, but she was like, I I went and visited her and I was helping her with stuff in the kitchen. Like, I've been I've been present for multiple births, like I am a good friend. When someone's like, Do you want to hold my baby? I remember my first response, and this was maybe too honest. I said, Would it help you if I did? Do you do you need me to? Right. And that's a really good response. I felt so bad. I was like, I don't actually feel a strong desire to hold your child. And um, I'm just gonna be totally honest about that. I don't, I mean, yeah, thank you. Why is that a good response?

SPEAKER_02 35:28

Because because I think it it's being honest. It's not like, oh yeah, I want to hold your baby. You know, you're not you're not being fake, you're being honest, but you're being honest in a way that's graceful and helpful because maybe that that person actually needed to have a moment where they weren't holding their baby, or maybe they needed to do something. So it's it's it's showing up as a really good friend and being helpful while still being true to yourself.

SPEAKER_00 35:51

Thank you. Yeah, and I'm totally happy to hold the baby, but I was like, wait, are you asking me if like I want if I have a strong desire? And I was like, Oh, Alicia, why are you complicating it? Just hold the baby. Not that I didn't want to hold the baby. I think I was just asking, like, do you do you need help right now? Because I, you know, I'm just again, I'm not that girl that shows up and takes babies out of people's arms. Um anyhow, but yeah, it's so it is so cool. It's one of my favorite things when I get to spend time with children and see the world through their eyes because we aren't fascinated by anything anymore. Now everything is on demand. You can see concerts on the internet. It's like we've lost that sense of fascination with the world, and kids are one of the best ways to get that back when we see them experience something for the first time. It's so true. It's so fun. So fun. Okay, my friend. Well, if if you are still ready and willing, I would be so grateful on behalf of my audience for you to walk us through a practice and take as much time as you as it takes for anyone listening and watching. This is for you to feel better right now. And that's one of Kristen's superpowers.

SPEAKER_02 37:14

Awesome. I would love to. So just take a moment. If you're driving a car or multitasking, this might not be the best time. I would maybe pause here and come back to it when you have a moment to actually sit down and drop in. But if you're ready, you can take a moment if it feels comfortable to close your eyes. Close your eyes. And just take a moment to feel whatever you're sitting on or standing on. Feel your connection to that object, whether it's a chair, a bed, the floor, notice the places where your body connects. And see if you can soften that connection. So the muscles, the skin, the fascia, the bones, see if everything where you're connecting to the earth, if it can soften even just ten percent. And the earth is big enough to hold all of our weight. So if you feel comfortable, is there anywhere that's saying yes to dropping your weight more deeply into the earth? And then from this grounded place notice your breath in your body without changing it. Just notice notice your body breathing itself. Just witnessing the breath. As you inhale, imagining all the cells of your body being charged, filled, restored with energy. And as you exhale, imagine anything that your body, mind, spirit doesn't need letting go. Noticing where in your body it's easy to breathe. Noticing where there's flow. Maybe it's in your chest, maybe it's in your belly. Can you breathe all the way into your shoulder blades? And if it doesn't move easily, is there are there any movements? Is there any stretches of your shoulders, your upper body? Is there any way you can move it or stretch so that the breath can move more freely and easily into your shoulder blades and shoulders? And once again, if you notice any places where the breath is sticking or it feels tight or there's tension or stagnation, are there any movements, any stretches, any way that you can move your body to create a little bit more space and a little bit more ease? And once again, noticing is there any place that the breath is sticking or catching, that it's tight or tense as it's moving out to your fingertips? Is there any way that you can move or stretch so that the breath can flow all the way to your fingertips? Letting it flow. And if there's any places in your neck, head that feel tight or tense, you can even bring hands to neck to give it a little massage to open it up, or hands to forehead, temples, scalp, to just notice any places where it's sticky, any ways that you can help get the energy to flow. Just feeling your breath. Without changing it, just noticing now your breath as it moves through your body. Noticing any changes in where it's circulating, in the ease, in the flow. Coming back into your space, feeling that seat beneath you once again, connecting with the earth. Noticing any sounds, smells around you, the temperature of the air on your skin. And as you're ready, slowly letting your eyelids flutter open and coming back into your space. You can take a moment to just look around your space, noticing anything that feels pleasant to look at in your space or neutral. Placing your body in this space. Coming back to center and moving on with your day.

SPEAKER_00 46:21

Thank you. You're welcome. That was so peaceful. And in the beginning, I started to tear up. I was like, oh, it just it feels so good to just be at peace. And isn't that what we all want? Always. Yes. What a gift, Kristen. Thank you. You're welcome. And thank you for being pleasure. You're so up for the challenge. It was like, can you just look before we start a recording? I'm like, how do you feel about just leading us through an exercise? And she's like, sure. So that was just channeled. That was so beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 47:00

That was, I had no clue what I was going to do. That just was like, okay, this is what needs to be said right now.

SPEAKER_00 47:05

Perfect. Perfect. So please tell us about your free weekend nervous system reset so people can experience this anytime they want.

SPEAKER_02 47:16

So this is something, it's like an ebook, I guess, or a little workbook that I created. And I one of the other things I do is I lead retreats. And I love the way that throughout a weekend, the way people can drop in in a different way in a retreat. But retreats aren't always accessible to people for so many different reasons time, money, kids to take care of, animals to take care of, whatever it is. And so I thought how wonderful it would be for people to have a template that they could create their own reset. It could be for an evening and a full day. You could repeat the full day as many times as you want for as long as you have, but it's something that could really fit into people's schedules and be accessible. And it's very simple. And I give a lot of information about somatics and Ayurveda, and it's aligned with the Ayurvedic times of day. So I give examples of different practices that could be done in that time that would be beneficial to help balance the energy of that time of day. And so you get to choose what it is that you want to do. So it really makes it yours. It's like a choose your own adventure as opposed to something where I'm telling you exactly what to do every moment. And it's just a really wonderful way to take a really big scoop off of your bucket of stress. If you really are needing that restoration time to just take a couple days, if you have a family, you can fit it in. It's for anybody. It's for any, I want to make it as accessible for anybody to pick up and do as possible.

SPEAKER_00 48:54

Fantastic. Well, thank you for sharing that with us. And the link will be in the episode description. So everybody jump in, opt in, receive this for yourself. You deserve it. Even if you feel like you are not going to dedicate time to it this week or this weekend, jump in now so it's at least in your inbox so you can go back to it when you want to, and you can stay in touch with Kristen and potentially work with her as well. So don't wait. You're listening to this. You came upon this episode at the perfect time. So trust that divine timing and receive even more magic from this generous soul today. And on that note, I'm gonna pull a card for you, Kristen, as a huge gratitude. And when I pull cards for my guests, it's so often a card that my audience needs to hear as well. So this is for you on behalf of them. You are the lighthouse. And oop, this one already jumped out. Okay, there's two that jumped out. So I'm gonna trust that. Okay, so this first one, uh, there's they feel so connected. This is ISALT, undying love. I love that. Uh, right. It's like she kind of even just looks like you. The love you have shared is eternal regardless of the situation. The love you have shared is eternal regardless of the situation. And this isn't necessarily a marriage card or a relationship card, so specifically to romantic partnership. Sometimes these are this is for soul family, for the people that have impacted us the most, for old friends you just met, people in your sisterhood, and yeah, even we talked about children today and animals. So just know that if you feel love for someone or something, or what you do, that it's eternal and it's part of your soul's journey. It's it's why you're here to connect. You, Kristen, are here as a beacon of love on a path of love. And everything you do as a healer and all of your work is to remind people that they are not separate from love. Yes, I resonate with that completely. Wonderful. Okay, so this is funny. This is Damara, and she is the goddess of guiding children.

SPEAKER_02 51:28

Oh my gosh, that's so funny.

SPEAKER_00 51:30

So funny. I never pull this card. You are good at helping, counseling, and healing children. Use your skills to help children now. That is so funny. Are you working on either a children's book or like a little mini course for parents to teach Ayurvedic work or healing or nervous system stuff to their kids? Because this should be taught in like preschool. Right.

SPEAKER_02 51:53

You know, I'm not right now, but I have worked with kids a lot in my life. And I used to be a Montessori teacher and I've done a lot of things with kids. And I do like working with mothers. I really love doing the Ayurvedic work with mothers. So maybe there's something in there.

SPEAKER_00 52:06

100%. That's it. That's it right there. Yeah. How beautiful, sweetheart. Well, for everyone, again, connect with her at nourishednervous system.com. The link will be in the description. Kristen, you are such a joy. You are such a light. I'm so happy to know you and call you my friend. And again, our episode on her show, the Nourished Nervous System Podcast, is in the description as well. So just everyone dive in, go deep. That's what she does. You cannot and should not run from your own energetic desire to feel better. And Kristen holds space for you to feel better.

SPEAKER_02 52:49

Thank you so much, Alicia. It's so, so good to be here with you. I'm so grateful that our paths have crossed. You are just such a such a love, such a joy, and such a wonderful host. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 53:01

My pleasure. Thank you, love. All right. I hope you'll be back. I will. Be sure to connect with me at patreon.com forward slash the brilliance method. The only way I'll know if you're loving the show is if you leave a comment, five stars, and subscribe.