The Awakened Heart: A Podcast for Healing Women
The Awakened Heart: A Podcast for Healing Women is a safe space for trauma survivors and neurodivergent women ready to claim their voice, soften into their truth and feel at home with themselves.
I’m Autumn Moran, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), certified Life Coach, and 500-hour trained yoga instructor who understands this journey intimately as a neurodivergent woman, trauma survivor and as a therapist and life coach.
Each week, I offer soulful episodes where I intertwine my lived experiences with insights from my therapy practice all with the goal to help women unmask and find peace in their lives by healing trauma and learning how to accommodate their neurodivergence.
Through real talk, mindfulness practices, and gentle healing approaches rooted in trauma-informed wisdom and nervous system care, you’ll find practical tools to help you feel safe in your body, seen in your story and supported in your journey.
This is your sanctuary to soften, heal, and remember that you were and are never too much.
Work with me: Click the link to schedule a free 15 minute consultation.
The Awakened Heart: A Podcast for Healing Women
BONUS EPI: PEP TALK - Comforting Words When the World Feels Heavy, Dark, and Impossible
This episode is a Pep Talk for anyone who’s barely keeping it together. For anyone who’s tired of toxic positivity that skips over the reality that life is legitimately difficult right now. For anyone who needs permission to scale back, do less, and just survive today.
Upcoming Episode:
Next week’s bonus episode on Friday will cover sexual trauma and the freeze response - for anyone who’s been in a sexual situation where you wanted to say no but couldn’t, where your body froze, or where you went along with it because you felt you had no choice.
About Me:
I’m Autumn Moran, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas specializing in trauma-informed care for neurodivergent women and trauma survivors.
Therapy (Texas residents only):
I provide individual therapy in my private practice for women working through trauma, late diagnosis processing, relationship challenges, and healing from narcissistic abuse or toxic family systems. My approach is neurodivergent-affirming and focuses on helping you understand your patterns while building practical tools for nervous system regulation and authentic living.
Life Coaching (available anywhere):
For women outside Texas or those wanting support alongside therapy, I offer:
•Somatic Healing Coaching: Bridges the gap between cognitive understanding and embodied healing through nervous system work, movement practices, and practical integration tools. Perfect as a complement to talk therapy or for those ready to work directly with their body’s wisdom.
•Unmasking Journey Coaching: Specialized support for late-diagnosed neurodivergent women learning to reconnect with their authentic selves after decades of masking. We work on identifying your real needs, rebuilding your sense of self, and creating a life that fits who you actually are.
Whether you’re healing trauma, discovering yourself after late diagnosis, or both, my goal is to help you not just understand your story, but feel genuinely safe and at home in your own body.
Subscribe & Share:
New episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday. If today’s episode resonated, please share it with someone who needs to hear it or leave a comment—it helps other women find this space and know they’re not alone. Check me out on Apple Podcasts and many other platforms.
Work With Me:
Ready to start your healing journey?
Book a free 15-minute consultation: (http://linktr.ee/EmpoweringWellnessHub)
Listen to my DIVINE WOMAN Playlist (Apple & Spotify): Empowering songs for women healing through softness and strength - links are on the linktree link!
Welcome to The Awaken Heart, a podcast for healing women, a place where your voice matters, your body is sacred, and your journey home to yourself is honored, no matter how winding the road. I'm Audna Moran, licensed professional counselor, life coach, and yoga instructor who specializes in working with late-diagnosed neurodivergent women and trauma survivors. New episodes drop every Wednesday and Friday, so be sure to subscribe so you never miss one. And if today's episode resonates with you, I'd be so grateful if you'd share it with someone who needs to hear it or leave a comment. It helps other women find the space and know that they're not alone in their healing, especially since I'm not in the algorithm game and I have gotten off of social media. So thank you if you talk about it. Thank you if you share it, and thank you if you comment. This helps, this helps me grow. So today is Friday, and Fridays is bonus episodes, and I had a really good deep topic scheduled for this week. We were going to talk about sexual trauma and the freeze response. But honestly, I've had a really hard week personally. And I just don't have the capacity to sit and be vulnerable about something that heavy right now. So that episode is coming next week as a bonus episode. And it's going to be for anyone who's been in a sexual situation where you wanted to say no but couldn't, but didn't, for whatever reason, where your body just froze, where you went along with it, even though everything in you might have said no, where you complied because you felt you had to, because you were afraid, because you didn't think you had a choice. Whether that event was big, small, whether you fought back or didn't, whether you said something or didn't, that episode is for you. But not today. Today, I needed a little something different. And I'm guessing maybe some of you need it too. I had uh a rough week and I met my therapist on Monday, my new therapist, so ta-da. Like I did an episode a while back on questions to ask to find a good therapist because it's so hard to find a good therapist. And then Wednesday, I really needed a session again because I was having a family crisis, a personal crisis, just life crisis. And it was nice. It was nice to sit and be heard and to essentially be held and supported. So that's lovely. If you have a therapist, a coach, a helping professional that can help you through hard times to discuss heavy shit. Please use your resources. But she recommended I get outside and go for a walk. So I went for a walk. And I wanted to have a pep talk. I wanted to hear a pep talk in my ears while I walked because I needed to hear something positive and uplifting. And what I found had some good parts, but honestly, most of it didn't hit the mark. Most of it was like toxic positivity that doesn't acknowledge the reality that life is hard. That sometimes it feels impossible to manage. That sometimes, even though when you you're doing everything right and things still are not okay. So I'm going to give you a pep talk today. I needed it this week, a real one. And I hope this helps you feel a little better. I don't want to gaslight you about how hard things are. I want to be real and I want to be supportive. So if you if life feels hard right now, that's not because you're doing it wrong. It's because life is hard. Life is hard. For me right now, what's on my plate? I'm a single mom. That's always been on my plate, and that's a stressor. Or, you know, not to minimize people that aren't single parents. Parenting is hard. Parenting children who are having difficulties, parenting children who are going through things that I can't fix or solve immediately. Parenting children who are going through situations that are something I never ever wanted them to experience. I'm also appealing back another layer of toxic family dynamics and putting up boundaries around the holidays. I don't know if this is you and if it's not, like, kudos to you. But financial stress, maybe financial stress that keeps you up at night, first thing that's on your mind in the morning.
SPEAKER_00:My health issues, gosh.
SPEAKER_01:I don't know if I've shared it, and I guess I'll share it, but like when I was getting my gallbladder removed a month or two ago, I don't know, maybe two months ago, they realized I had sleep apnea. So I'm in the middle of waiting for my appointment to get my machine. So like I don't know how long it's been since I've actually slept and what I will look like on the other side. Because honestly, as silly as it sounds, I thought I was on top of my game. But also what I learned in the hospital from those charts of pain, I minimize my pain. I minimize my experiences. Probably because I have my lived experiences thus far. You know, sometimes it's the exhaustion of masking, performing, trying to hold it all together. I have done a whole lot to unmask, but sometimes when it comes to being a parent, you mask a whole hell of a lot. And, you know, the weight of the trauma that you and I are trying to heal while still living in a world that feels so unsafe. Whatever it is for you, I need you to hear this. All of this is real, all of this is very hard. And you're not failing because it's hard. Most pep talks want to just jump straight to, but you've got this, everything happens for a reason, or just stay positive. And to me, that's bullshit. That's bypassing, that's minimizing your actual experience. Because before we get to anything hopeful or encouraging, we have to acknowledge that this is hard. What you're dealing with is legitimately difficult, and it makes sense that you're struggling. If you're barely keeping it together, that doesn't mean you're failing. That means you're a human and you're dealing with hard things because you're not supposed to have it figured all out. You're not supposed to be able to have to handle everything with grace. You know, there's no such thing as never feeling overwhelmed. There's no such thing as always knowing what to do, though I wish I did. There is no such thing as being positive all the time. There's no such thing as healing faster, being stronger, or having more compassitity than you already do. The self-help industrial complex wants you to believe that if you're struggling, it's because you're not doing enough, not thinking positively enough, not working hard enough on yourself. But the truth of that shit is that most of the time you're doing everything you can and still it's really hard. Sometimes you're in therapy, you're doing the work, you're setting boundaries, you're practicing self-care, and life is still kicking your ass. That doesn't mean the work isn't working. That doesn't mean you're broken. That means life is legitimately difficult and you're a human being with limits. You're allowed to be at your limit. You're allowed to say, I cannot do one more thing right now. You're allowed to not have capacity for things you usually could handle. And even in the hardest weeks, you may be doing more than you think you are. You're still here. You're listening to this. You got up today. This all means you're trying. You're still looking for something that might help. Still showing up for yourself, even when it just would be better to crawl into a hole and stay there. Maybe you want to work. Maybe you went to work even though you wanted to stay in bed. Maybe you fed yourself something, even if it was just whatever was easy. Maybe you took a shower or didn't, and that's okay too. Maybe you sent a text to a friend. Maybe you went for a small walk. Maybe you breathed through a panic attack. Maybe you didn't say the mean thing to yourself you were thinking, or to someone else. Maybe you've set some small boundary even though it's uncomfortable. Maybe you've showed up for your kids, your parents, whoever you're caregiving, even though you were empty. Maybe you kept that therapy appointment even when you felt like crying and avoiding. And right now you're choosing not to numb, even though it may feel better, even though you want to. And maybe you didn't go to work. Maybe you laid around and gave yourself permission to lay in bed. That's also okay. Because these aren't small things, these are acts of resistance when everything in you wants to give up. You're surviving. And I know that might not feel like enough. I know you want to be thriving and not just surviving, but survival counts. Survival is enough. And here's what I want to give you permission to do: scale back. Do less. Let things be good enough instead of perfect. You don't have to meet everyone's expectations. You don't have to show up for every obligation. You don't have to maintain the same pace you did when you had more capacity. You definitely don't have to keep proving yourself. And you absolutely don't have to push through when you have nothing left. Cancel plans, say no without explanation, take a mental health day, take a mental health weekend, lower your standards temporarily, ask for help, do the bare minimum, feel free to disappoint someone, and always prioritize your own survival. Because this isn't forever, this is for right now, in this hard season. You get to protect your capacity, you get to be strategic about where you spend your limited energy. What actually matters right now, not what you think should matter, what actually matters for your survival and well-being. Do those things and let everything else wait or fall away. So what do you do when life is actually this hard? You don't just think positive. You don't just say everything happens for a reason. You don't just say, I got this. When in fact you do not got this. Or we don't just practice gratitude when you're barely fucking surviving. What I want you to try instead is I want you to be honest about how hard it is. Stop pretending you're fine, stop performing you're okay. Tell someone your truth, tell someone you trust, hey, I'm really struggling right now. Lower the bar. What's the absolute minimum you need to do today to survive? Do that and let everything else fucking wait. Ask for specific help. Don't let people get away with saying, let me know if you need anything. And if you hear, let me know if you need anything. That's when the specific requests come in. Can you pick up my kid from school Tuesday? Can you bring me dinner? Can I just sit with you for an hour? Make the request. Do one tiny thing that feels like care. Not a whole self-care routine, just one thing. Drink water, sit in the sun for a few minutes, pet your dog, listen to a song you love, cry, sleep. And try to connect with your body for just a moment. Feel your feet on the ground, take three breaths, notice you're here. Relax your shoulders, relax your jaws. And please remember that this isn't forever. Not in a toxic, it gets better. Way, but in a I have survived hard things before, way. You've been through hard seasons and they've ended. This one will too. Not today, my dear, but eventually. Like I hear you because look at me. I'm queering up, tearing up, queer tears. Right now, life is hard for me. This is a season, a storm that is weighing over my head that scares the living shit out of me. But in my lived experience, no matter how dark the days got, the sun fucking rises. And I get better eventually, each and every day, moment by moment. Life unfolds and things tend to work out. Do they get bad again? Absolutely, because that's life. But eventually the sun will rise. And above everything else, this is something we were probably never taught if we are neurodivergent, female, trauma experienced. Be gentle with yourself. Talk to yourself the way you talk to someone you love who's struggling, not with toxic positivity, but with compassion. You can say something like, this is really hard, but you're doing the best you can. And it's okay to not be okay right now. If you're thinking about giving up, I fucking get it. Wednesday? Yesterday? Was it yesterday? I wanted to disappear. I wanted to not exist. Not in a suicidal way, but in a this is too much. I I want to check out.
SPEAKER_00:I don't want to be here. This is not fun. But please don't give it up.
SPEAKER_01:The world needs you here, as silly as that sounds, in a hard moment. Especially if you're utterly alone and you're like, why? No one, no one needs me literally in my life. Why do I need to be here? And I know it may hard to be may be hard to believe if you are alone, but your people need you here, whether they're in your life now or are they coming your way. You deserve to see what's on the other side of this hard season. If you feel like you're failing everyone, you're not. You're doing your best with the capacity you have. The people who love you don't need you to be perfect. They need you to be honest and present. Even if present means saying, I can, I can't right now. And if you feel alone in this, because so many of us struggle quietly, so many of us are barely keeping it together.
SPEAKER_00:You are not the only one who feels this way.
SPEAKER_01:I understand what it means and feels to be isolated, to be alone, to not have friends, to not have family. I understand this hole, this sadness, the horrible feeling that that is like, what that feels like. So I'm here Wednesdays and Fridays. If anything, I'm here. I'm a voice to let you know that I give a shit about you. Whether we never meet, this podcast is for you. This podcast is for women who feel alone, who feel like no one gives a shit, who feel like no one gets it. I'm here. And if you're wondering if it gets easier or when it gets easier, I don't have that answer. I can't promise that it gets easier at all or sooner. But I can promise you you won't always feel exactly like this because feelings shift, seasons change, and hard things end. And if you're doing everything right and it's still hard, this is not failure. This is life. Sometimes the work is just about surviving. Sometimes healing looks like barely holding on, and that all still counts. I don't have a neat bow to put on this. I don't have some inspiring message about how everything will be okay. What I have is this. You're not alone, you're not failing, and it's okay to be exactly where you are right now, even if where you are is really fucking hard. Please take it one moment, one day, one hour, one minute, one breath at a time, if that's what you need. Because you are allowed to just survive, you're allowed to do less, and you're allowed to not be okay. And I'm rooting for you. I see you. I know this is hard, and I believe you're going to make it through this, even if you don't know how yet. I know that sounds a little toxic because I don't know you, but you're listening to this. And if you've listened to more than one episode, you resonate with my vibe, my energy.
SPEAKER_00:And part of me is I'm gonna do better. I'm gonna get through this, I'm gonna keep going.
SPEAKER_01:No matter how hard it is, no matter how much I want to just dig a hole, bury myself in it, and say goodbye.
SPEAKER_00:I'm not gonna give up. So we are gonna make it through this.
SPEAKER_01:Next week, I'll be back with that episode on sexual trauma and the freeze response. But today, I just needed to say, hang in there, my dears. You're doing better than you think, especially if you're listening to a pep talk, because you are showing up in some of the hardest times you're experiencing.
SPEAKER_00:I'd love to hear from you. Message me.
SPEAKER_01:If you want to help more women hear this episode, please support me by helping me grow my podcast. Comment, leave a review, share it, talk about it. This helps me show up in searches so that women can find my message, so that women like us can feel less alone and more liberated and more loved and have a resource that is positive and supporting. If you want to work with me, I offer virtual therapy for women in Texas. So trauma and neurodivergence work. If you are outside of the state of Texas, I have life coaching programs for late diagnosed neurodivergent women trying to find their way, trying to unmask. I can help you along that journey. It is my pleasure. If you're interested, click on the link tree in the show notes for your 15-minute consultation. And there are also an Apple Spotify playlist of wonderful music to help you on your way to listen to something today and every day that is not shitty messaging, that is not about booties and hoes and cars and blah, blah, blah, but it's about love, self-love, enlightenment. It is a good playlist. Please give it a listen. It's called Divine Woman. It's on Spotify and Apple. Until next time, my dears, I want you to know that you are never too much. You're never too late. And you don't have to figure it out all alone. I'm right here every Wednesday and Friday. May you be happy and free. May our healing ripple outward to bless the world with happiness and freedom. Take care of you, and I'll see you soon.
