EMDR isn't just for big-T trauma like abuse or accidents. It's also incredibly effective for the "small-t" traumas that shape our attachment wounds, negative core beliefs, and parenting patterns—things like childhood rejection, feeling unseen, or internalizing the belief that "you're not enough".

Lizzie breaks down the science behind EMDR using the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model, explaining how our brain naturally processes experiences and what happens when that system gets stuck. She walks through examples, shares four "aha-moment" insights from her training, and explains why this matters for couples preparing for parenthood, parents breaking generational cycles, and children as young as two healing from early trauma.

If you've ever felt stuck in patterns you can't seem to break, or wondered why your child has big reactions to seemingly small things—this episode will change how you think about healing.

Links & Resources

→ Sacred Treehouse EMDR services: https://sacredtreehouse.org

→ Learn more about EMDR: EMDR International Association - emdria.org

→ Connect with Lizzie for EMDR therapy for adults or children: www.BeenenTherapyGroup.com

This episode tackles the hard truths nobody tells you before having kids: that your own childhood wounds will get activated, that your identity will shift in ways you can't predict, that even the best-laid plans will fall apart, and that if you don't protect your couple relationship, everything else becomes infinitely harder.

Whether you're preparing for marriage, expecting your first child, navigating fertility struggles, or already deep in the trenches of parenting—this conversation offers a roadmap for building the kind of relationship that can weather the beautiful chaos of raising a family together.

In This Episode We Explore:

1. Children Activate Your Own Attachment Wounds & Unmet Needs: How your inner child gets triggered by your actual child—and why self-awareness is key before parenting.
2. Becoming a Parent is a Massive Identity Shift: Even with preparation, you can't fully predict how motherhood or fatherhood will change you—and that's okay.
3. The Best Laid Plans Can (and Often Do) Fail: Infertility, pregnancy loss, premature birth, career changes—life happens, and flexibility + communication are everything.
4. The Parental Relationship is the Foundation: Your partnership is the soil from which your family grows. If it's not tended to, everything else suffers.

About the Upcoming Couples Program

Dr. Patty and Lizzie are developing a 3-6 month pre-marital and pre-baby program for couples to:

• Explore attachment wounds and unmet needs
• Build effective communication and repair skills
• Assess individual nervous system needs and regulation strategies
• Create rituals of connection that protect the relationship through life's transitions
• Prepare the "soil" of their relationship before welcoming children

Interested? Reach out to Sacred Treehouse for more information.

Links & Resources

→ Sacred Treehouse programs: https://sacredtreehouse.org

→ Contact us about the Couples Program: info@sacredtreehouse.org

→ Revisit Part 1: Episode 33 - 5 Parenting Truths That Matter More Than Perfection

→ Katie K. May episode (Parents Go First): Episode 31

If this episode resonated, please share it with a couple preparing for marriage or parenthood, someone navigating fertility struggles, or any parent who's realized they need to tend to their own relationship.

Leave a review to help us reach more families looking to heal!

This episode distills wisdom from early loss and grief, pediatric care, intuitive parenting, postpartum mental health, parenting teens with big emotions, play-based learning, and adoption. Whether you're expecting, parenting toddlers, navigating the teen years, or simply wanting to understand yourself more deeply, these five principles are foundational.

Part 2 coming next week will explore how unmet needs shape the way we parent.

Explore More:

Sacred Treehouse programs: https://sacredtreehouse.org

Revisit episodes from our Foundations Series:

• Episode 23: Jessica Malmberg on Grief & Infant Loss
• Episode 25: Ev Leyva on Intuitive Parenting
• Episode 26: Dr. Celina Moore on Pediatric Care
• Episode 27: Stephanie Loesel Building a Business Postpartum
• Episode 28: Erin Vinski on Postpartum Mental Health
• Episode 30: Sunflower Creative Arts Episode on Play-Based Learning
• Episode 31: Katie K. May on Parenting Teens with Big Emotions
• Episode 32: Selina Beenen on Adoption & Belonging

Share this episode with a parent who needs the reminder there's no one, perfect, right way to do it!

Selina shares what it was like to grow up knowing she was adopted but never being allowed to talk about it. She describes the confusion, the abandonment, the unspoken loyalty to her adoptive mother, and the question that lived underneath everything: Was I wanted? She opens up about the grief of not knowing where she came from, the fear of rejection that kept her from searching for her biological family, and the Christmas morning in 2018 when her four sons gave her an Ancestry DNA kit, a gift that would change everything.

This episode is raw, tender, and full of hope. The journey of adoptee identity integration, healing, and belonging is still unfolding for Selina, tune for this heart-centered honest conversation.

In This Episode We Explore:

• The unspoken rule: Why talking about adoption felt like a betrayal to her adoptive mother
• How adopted children become emotional caretakers, protecting their parents' feelings instead of their own
• The invisible wound: "Was I wanted? Why was I given up?"
• Why adoptees often don't search for biological family
• The grief and confusion adoptees carry even in loving adoptive families
• How normal childhood discipline triggered deeper feelings of abandonment and rejection
• The overwhelming mix of joy, fear, grief, and belonging that comes with reunion with biological family

Links & Resources

→ Beenen Therapy Group: www.beenentherapygroup.com

→ Follow on social media: @BeenenTherapyGroup @SacredTreehouse

→ Sacred Treehouse programs: www.sacredtreehouse.org

Look Forward to Part 2

In a future episode, Selina will share clinical insights for adoptive parents and what helps adopted individuals integrate their identity and heal.

If this episode moved you, please share it with an adoptee who feels alone, an adoptive parent seeking understanding, or anyone navigating the complexity of identity, belonging, and family. Leave a review to help us reach more people who need to know: healing is possible.

Katie brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this discussion, openly sharing her own journey as a teenager and as a current parent of a teen facing mental health challenges. She breaks down why teens with biological sensitivity feel like they're "on fire" with their emotions, why self-destructive behaviors actually make sense as attempts to put out that fire, and what parents can do instead of minimizing, dismissing, or trying to fix it fast.

Katie emphasizes one critical message: Parents go first. When parents learn to regulate their own emotions, validate authentically, and repair harm, they become the most powerful agents of change in their teen's healing.

If you're parenting a teen who's struggling, if you work with families, or if you're simply trying to understand how to show care and concern for a loved one—this episode is will not disappoint.

In This Episode We Explore:

• How self-destructive behaviors (self-harm, substance use) work to make emotional pain go down, why teens keep doing them, and how NOT to reinforce them
• The connection between emotions and behavior: behaviors are communication
• The various types of validation to show you care, but don't support their destructive behaviors
• Radical acceptance as a grieving process: Letting go of the idealized vision of parenting
• The "good enough parent" theory

About Our Guest

Katie K. May, LCSW, is a DBT board-certified clinician, bestselling author of You're On Fire, It's Fine, and founder of a group therapy practice specializing in high-risk teenagers. Drawing from her own experience as a teen who struggled and now as a parent navigating mental health challenges with her own child, Katie brings deep compassion, clinical expertise, and radical honesty to her work. She leads parent skills groups, trains therapists, and is passionate about empowering parents to become agents of change in their teen's healing.

Links & Resources

→ You're On Fire, It's Fine by Katie K. May: Linked

→ Katie's DBT practice: creativehealingphilly.com @creative_healing

→ Sacred Treehouse programs: sacredtreehouse.org

→ Patty's team: therapeuticoasis.com Lizzie's team: beenentherapygroup.com

They explore how gentle, relationship-based separation supports secure attachment, why play is essential for healthy development, and how early childhood education can become a space not only for children’s growth — but for parental healing and transformation as well. This conversation is a refreshing reframe for anyone navigating preschool transitions, questioning conventional education models, or longing for a more human, nature-connected approach to childhood.

In This Episode We Explore

• Why play is foundational for social-emotional development and lifelong learning
• A gentle, attachment-aware approach to early separation and preschool transitions
• Why honoring children’s emotions builds security
• The role of teachers as secondary attachment figures in early childhood
• How parenting itself can become a healing journey

Connect Further

→ Sunflower Creative Arts: https://sunflowercreativearts.org

→ Sacred Treehouse programs: https://sacredtreehouse.org

Many people resist self-compassion, dismissing it as self-pity or "too soft." But the research is clear: self-compassion is transformative, especially for those healing from childhood trauma, insecure attachment, or unmet developmental needs. Dr. Patty shares her own journey from skepticism to becoming a trained Mindful Self-Compassion teacher, and why she now considers it essential work for anyone struggling with relationships, burnout, or that persistent sense of "I don't matter" "I'm not enough".

They also discuss why "slower is faster" when healing trauma, and how self-compassion literally grows secure attachment from the inside out.

If you've ever struggled with self-criticism, dating anxiety, feeling unworthy, or the exhaustion of always giving to others—this episode is for you.

In This Episode We Explore:

• Why self-compassion is so hard for people with attachment wounds (and why it's exactly what they need)
• Why avoidant attachment styles resist self-compassion (and how it can still help them)
• How self-compassion transforms dating: navigating rejection with kindness instead of catastrophizing
• How healing early trauma requires going slow: "slower is faster"

About Mindful Self-Compassion

Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an evidence-based program developed by Kristin Neff, PhD, and Christopher Germer, PhD. Dr. Patty is a trained MSC teacher and offers both the 5-week short course and the full 8-week program, as well as retreats. The practices are deeply trauma-informed, gentle, and focused on building inner safety and security.

Upcoming Opportunities

→ Mindful Self-Compassion Course: https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/msc

→ Weekend MSC Retreat in development

→ Sacred Treehouse: https://sacredtreehouse.org

Erin, who specializes in perinatal mental health and works with individuals, couples, families, and children, brings both professional expertise and lived experience to this conversation.

This episode tackles the topics our culture doesn't talk about enough: the neurochemical changes that last for three years postpartum, the financial stress of raising children in today's world, the isolation of American motherhood without a village, and why partners often feel silenced and invisible during this transition. Erin offers tangible guidance for how to support a struggling mom, what red flags to watch for, and how to prepare for the changes that come with bringing a life into this world.

If you're navigating postpartum, supporting someone who is, or preparing for this life-altering transition—this candid conversation is essential listening.

In This Episode We Explore:

1. Why postpartum is the biggest shift in sense of self you'll ever experience
2. "Mom brain" explained
3. Why new mothers are wired to be in a heightened state of alert
4. How to prepare for postpartum before baby arrives: creating a mental health plan with your partner
5. The gifts new moms actually need
6. Normalizing it's okay not to love every stage of motherhood

"It's the biggest shift in sense of self that you'll ever have in your life. You'll never be able to find that version of yourself again once you've had a kid. It's a beautiful thing, but it can be very unsettling."

Connect with Us

1. Interested in therapy with Erin and Lizzie www.BeenenTherapyGroup.com
2. Mindful Self-Compassion Class begins Feb 23 - details at www.sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/msc
3. Follow along on Instagram @SacredTreehouse

Planning for Postpartum?

Consider creating a mental health plan with your partner before baby arrives. Write down your typical signs of struggle, find a therapist you trust, and give that information to someone who loves you. You don't have to wait until you're in crisis to get support.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with an expecting parent, a struggling mom, an overwhelmed partner, or anyone who needs to hear that postpartum is hard, support is essential, and asking for help is a sign of strength—not failure. Leave a review to help us reach more families navigating this tender, transformative season.

You don't have to do this alone. Community matters. Support matters. Your mental health matters.

Stephanie shares her journey from hospitality, to office manager in a therapy practice, to becoming a stay-at-home mom who built a thriving virtual assistant business — without abandoning her identity, ambition, or attachment to her daughter. This conversation is an honest look at choosing a “middle path,” honoring nervous system needs, and letting growth unfold through attunement rather than burnout.

This episode is especially meaningful for mothers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and anyone questioning how to build a life that actually fits.

In This Episode, We Explore:

1. The visceral emotional and nervous system response to returning to work after childbirth
2. Why listening to intuition matters more than what “looks right on paper”
3. How Stephanie built a successful virtual assistant business while staying home with her child
4. The realities (and myths) of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship
5. Imperfect parenting, self-compassion, and letting go of perfectionism
6. Trusting growth that comes through discomfort, not certainty
7. “Future you” as a powerful guide for setting boundaries

Links & Resources:

→ Cakewalk Virtual Services: www.cakewalkvirtual.com

→ Instagram: @cakewalkvirtual

→ Upcoming Mindful Self-Compassion begins Feb 23rd https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/msc

If this episode resonated with you, consider sharing it with a mother, therapist, or entrepreneur who is navigating big decisions and tender transitions. Leaving a review helps The Bonded Podcast continue creating conversations that honor intuition, attachment, and the courage it takes to build a life that truly aligns.

Dr. Patty and Lizzie sit down with Dr. Celina Moore, a pediatrician who has completely reimagined what pediatric care can look like when you prioritize relationships, time, and truly seeing families where they are.

Dr. Moore's journey from traditional pediatric practice to creating a personalized, boutique model—complete with home visits for newborns and toddlers—reveals what healthcare could be when we center connection over conveyor-belt appointments.

This conversation spans from attachment and co-regulation in infancy to the devastating impact of screens on childhood development, the link between early trauma and physical illness, and why American mothers are so painfully isolated. Dr. Moore also shares about her nonprofit work in Ghana, where she's witnessed what true village support looks like—and how much we're missing that here.

In This Episode We Explore:

1. Why Dr. Moore left traditional practice to create a model where families actually get the time they need
2. The power of pediatric home visits
3. How pediatricians are often the first to catch postpartum depression and anxiety
4. The isolation of American motherhood vs. the village model
5. How screens are stealing childhood
6. Why "colic" might actually be an early sign of nervous system dysregulation or trauma
7. The privilege (and necessity) of access to nature, play, and multi-generational support

Links & Resources

→ More Healthy Kids: www.moorehealthykids.com

→ Follow Dr. Moore on Instagram: @MooreHealthyKids

→ Learn about her nonprofit work in Ghana: www.anfghana.org

→ Sacred Treehouse programs for parents: https://sacredtreehouse.org

→ Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (screening tool linked here)

Interested in volunteering in Ghana?

Medical and non-medical volunteers welcome to join Dr. Moore twice each year. Reach out to learn more about joining this meaningful work, email ANFGhanaorg@gmail.com

If this episode moved you, please share it with a parent who needs to hear that their intuition matters, that isolation isn't inevitable, and that pediatric care can (and should) be so much more than a five-minute conveyor belt. Leave a review to help us reach more families seeking deeper, more connected support for their children.

Connection is everything—in the exam room, at home, and across the world.

With four kids ages 7, 6, 4, and 5 months, Ev shares what it looks like to homeschool with Human Design, co-sleep without apology, trust maternal intuition over external authority, and teach her children that diversity is accepted and beautiful.

This conversation is medicine for mothers who feel pressured to conform, doubt their instincts, or wonder if they're doing it "right."

In This Episode We Explore:

1. How teaching in Thailand opened Ev's eyes to the endless ways children can learn
2. Why homeschooling became the right choice for her family
3. Using Human Design to understand each child's temperament, learning style, and energy
4. Reclaiming maternal intuition after being taught it was "false" in the Mormon church
5. Co-sleeping and why her kids never experienced the "four-month sleep regression"
6. Why respecting your child's temperament prevents power struggles and builds mutual respect
7. Breaking free from external authority and coming back home to yourself as a mother

Favorite Ev Quotes

"Mothers don't need strategies or books. They just need themselves and to trust it."

"Generational changes are going to be made not through perfection and not through control, but by mothers who decide that there's a different way and then they act on it."

About Our Guest

Ev Leyva is a mother of four, former elementary school teacher, and passionate advocate for child-led learning, secure attachment, and intuitive parenting. After teaching at an international school in Thailand, Ev discovered the freedom to parent and educate outside conventional systems. She now homeschools her children using Human Design, honors each child's unique temperament, and practices co-sleeping, home birth, and baby-led weaning. Having left the Mormon church to reclaim her intuition and inner authority, Ev is committed to raising children who trust themselves and know that being different is not only okay—it's beautiful.

Links & Resources

→ Connect with Ev on Instagram: @heavenlyevanlee

→ Sacred Treehouse programs: https://sacredtreehouse.org

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a mother who needs permission to trust herself, honor her child's uniqueness, and know that there's no single "right" way to raise a family. Leave a review to help us reach more parents seeking a deeper, more connected way to raise children.

Parenting isn't about perfection—it's about presence, attunement, and the courage to listen within.

This conversation goes beyond medical protocols to honor the grief, fear, hope, and attachment wounds that so often live beneath the fertility journey. Dr. Taylor shares both her clinical expertise and personal experience of infertility and pregnancy loss, offering a compassionate lens on what it truly means to try to bring life into the world after heartbreak.

In This Episode We Explore

1. Why infertility is not just a medical experience, but a deeply relational and emotional one
2. The unspoken ways partners grieve differently — and how that impacts relationships
3. Why many parents struggle to attach or relax even when things are “going well”
4. How trauma and chronic stress affect fertility and pregnancy
5. The importance of being seen, witnessed, and emotionally held during fertility treatment

“You’re not just investing financially in fertility treatment — you’re investing your heart, your identity, and your future.”

Dr. Joelle Taylor is a fertility specialist with decades of experience working with individuals and couples navigating infertility, pregnancy loss, and complex reproductive journeys. Known for her intuitive and deeply human approach, Dr. Taylor integrates emotional awareness, trauma sensitivity, and relational care into medical fertility treatment. Her work honors not only the body, but the heart and nervous system of every patient she serves.

Connect with us on Instagram @FertilityFairyGodmother @SacredTreehouse

Work with Dr. Taylor: https://www.ivfmd.com/fertility-specialist/joelle-taylor

If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review and share it with someone walking the fertility or loss journey. These stories deserve to be heard — and no one should have to carry this alone.

Thank you for being part of The Bonded Podcast community!

Explore more at www.thebondedpodcast.com

This conversation is medicine for anyone navigating perinatal loss, supporting someone who is, or healing from childhood grief that was never fully witnessed. We explore how grief lives in the body, how it shapes our parenting, why rituals matter, and how nature, community, and attachment all play vital roles in metabolizing loss.

In This Episode We Explore:

1. Why perinatal loss is uniquely painful: the invisibility of grief when others never met your baby
2. How to support children through sibling loss
3. The power of play therapy and sand tray work for kids processing death
4. Why anniversaries are so potent — and how to plan rituals around them
5. How attachment styles shape the way we grieve
6. The difference between isolating and intentional solitude in grief work
7. The myth that "being fine" is the goal — and why metabolizing grief requires both constriction and expansion

Favorite Episode Ideas

"Grief needs to be digested, like compost! It mixes with everything. We're starving from those nutrients. Composting grief can actually feed us."

"Our DNA is made for a village. That's how we're supposed to heal."

About Our Guest

Jessica Malmberg, LMFT, is a trauma-informed psychotherapist with over 25 years in the healing arts and extensive training in grief work with Francis Weller. She specializes in supporting women and families through miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss, and fertility challenges. An infant loss survivor herself, Jessica integrates brain spotting, co-created grief rituals, and depth-oriented approaches to help clients restore grounding, meaning, and presence. She offers therapy, grief retreats, and professional trainings in Northern California and online.

Links & Resources

→ Jessica's website: https://jessicamalmberg.com

→ Follow Jessica on Instagram: @jessicamalmbergtherapy

→ Francis Weller's work on communal grief rituals

→ Sacred Treehouse programs: https://sacredtreehouse.org

If this episode spoke to you, please leave a review and share it with someone who might need to hear that their grief is valid, their baby mattered, and healing is possible — not by rushing through, but by allowing the depth.

Rather than focusing on quick parenting tips, this series dives deep into attachment, bonding, trauma, and healing — exploring how our earliest relationships shape not only our children, but us across the lifespan.

Attachment isn’t built in one perfect moment. It’s formed over time through thousands of small interactions, ruptures and repairs, presence in exhaustion, and love even in the midst of grief.

In this episode, we share why this series matters, who it’s for, and how understanding attachment can bring clarity, self-compassion, and healing — whether you’re expecting a child, navigating fertility or adoption, supporting someone you love, or simply wanting to understand yourself more deeply.

This conversation sets the stage for a series that honors complexity, grief, resilience, and the profound possibility of breaking generational cycles.

Who This Series Is For

• Expecting parents, adoptive parents, and those navigating fertility
• Parents in early childhood, adolescence, and beyond
• People healing their own attachment wounds
• Partners, fathers, family members, and support systems
• Anyone curious about why they relate the way they do — and how healing is possible

Healing is possible. Not just for what happened to you — but for what was passed down to you.

By doing this work, we don’t just change our own lives. We change our family lines.

Stay tuned for the Foundations series, and thank you for being part of The Bonded Podcast. Please leave a review to support the growth of this important educational and inspirational message!

For many who experienced early attachment wounds, trauma, neglect, or unreliable caregiving, being alive can feel more like a burden than a celebration. If you’ve ever carried a quiet (or loud) sense of “I shouldn’t be here,” “Life is something to endure,” or “I have to do it all alone,” this conversation is for you.

With deep compassion and lived experience, Dr. Patty and Lizzie explore how these early imprints live in the nervous system, how they can block our ability to receive love and care, and — most importantly — the real hope that healing is possible. This isn’t about forcing positivity; it’s about slowly softening, opening, and reclaiming the truth that your birth was, and is, a gift.

Key Themes & Takeaways

• Early attachment experiences shape whether life feels safe, welcoming, or threatening
• Common signs today: chronic self-protection, difficulty receiving care, deep shame, a sense of not belonging, or life feeling like something to “manage” rather than enjoy
• Healing isn’t about blaming parents
• Receiving is the gateway and often the first step toward feeling life as a gift
• Energetic and systemic healing can be profoundly gentle — no need to re-live trauma verbally; the nervous system unfolds at its own pace
• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices build inner trust and create safe space for deeper work

Upcoming Generational Healing Opportunity

If this episode stirred something in you and you’re ready to gently explore healing the mother wound in a safe, trauma-informed container, we invite you to join our intimate January 2026 workshop: The Love of the Mother with Maria do Carmo.

This full-day experiential gathering uses systemic and energetic practices (including elements of family constellation) to restore the flow of nurturing energy — no verbal re-telling of trauma required. Space is very limited for depth and safety.

Details & registration: https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/systemic-healing

Joseph is an open book; he deeply believes in showing up authentically, and that’s exactly how this episode unfolded, raw, compassionate, humorous, and full of zero-shame insight. With warmth and deep respect for both masculine and feminine energies, we explore:

1. The light and dark sides of masculine traits
2. How pornography and modern hookup culture quietly reshape young men’s relationship with sex and intimacy
3. The biological realities that can make true emotional bonding harder after casual sex
4. Why “making him wait” can actually protect the space for real companionship and intimacy
5. The transformative power of pausing dating to heal and clarify your vision
6. The King & Queen dynamic: you attract what you embody
7. Why ghosting and emotional unavailability often aren’t personal
8. Practical, non-meditation ways to cultivate mindful awareness
9. How women can gently invite men into vulnerability

Whether you’re dating, partnered, or simply want to better understand the men in your life, this episode brings understanding, compassion, and real hope — plus actionable tools delivered with humor and heart.

Favorite Quotes

“Awareness is the currency of change and growth.”

“We’re all just lost little children doing our best to figure out this crazy existence.”

“In order to attract a Queen, you have to be a King.”

“Make him wait… because you want him to truly see you as a Queen.”

Connect with Joseph on instagram @Josephleecounseling

Private practice: https://josephleecounseling.com/home/

Affordable insurance-based telehealth: https://www.mindspatelemed.com/

Resources Mentioned

Date Like a Queen with Samantha Bove Ep.19

Sacred Treehouse mindfulness programs: https://sacredtreehouse.org

If this episode gave you new understanding or hope about yourself or the men in your life, please share it with someone else who would benefit from this message ❤️

In this raw, warm, and deeply hopeful episode, Lizzie and Dr. Patty sit down with Reiki master, business intuitive, and Dating Queen Samantha Bove. Samantha takes us from her own days of fear-driven relationships and scarcity to now being divinely in partnership with her King and guiding hundreds of women to do the same through her program Date Like a Queen.

If you’ve ever felt punished by singleness, terrified you’re “too much,” or secretly believe all the good ones are taken — this conversation is medicine. DM us or leave a review on what wisdom you're taking away from today's episode!

In This Episode We Explore:

• Why the holidays amplify the “I’ll be alone forever” story (and how to use this season as a portal instead)
• The dangerous myth that “If I were really healed, I’d already have my person”
• Queen energy: what it actually feels like to receive, lead, set boundaries, and trust yourself unapologetically
• How receiving is actually giving (and why men need you to let them give)
• Healing the sister-wound so other women stop feeling like competition
• Dating apps as a spiritual practice

Favorite Sammi Quotes

“Singleness is not a punishment. It’s an invitation.”

“Receiving is giving. When you let someone help you, you’re giving them the gift of getting to be generous.”

“Great queens know boundaries aren’t to keep people out — they’re to protect the kingdom.”

About Our Guest

Sammantha Bove is a Reiki master, business intuitive, archetypal coach, and the creator of Date Like a Queen — the program that helps women release hidden blocks, embody their inner Queen, and call in their King (or Queen). After years of fear-based choices and deep personal transformation, she now lives in New York with the partner she manifested. She’s passionate about playful, creative healing and proving that the journey to true love doesn’t have to be hard.

Links & Resources

→ Date Like a Queen: https://www.samanthabove.com/datelikeaqueen

→ Follow Sammantha on Instagram: @samantha.bove

→ Sammantha’s podcast: She's Too Much

→ Sacred Treehouse programs & workshops: https://sacredtreehouse.org

Together they unpack why the holidays can feel so dysregulating around food (especially when you have trauma, attachment wounds, or a history of disordered eating), and how to move through this season with more kindness, presence, and trust in your body.

If family gatherings trigger old food rules, body comments, or emotional eating — this episode is your permission slip to do the holidays differently.

In This Episode You’ll Learn:

• How to stop the cycle of body & food shaming (especially with kids and teens)
• The #1 most important thing you can do for your nervous system this season
• How to cope with emotional eating without spiraling into guilt
• Practical ways to protect your peace at family gatherings (even when diet talk starts)
• Why “saving up” calories all day almost always backfires
• How to bring self-compassion to the table instead of perfectionism
• Simple cope-ahead strategies so you don’t have to white-knuckle it through December

Listen to the previous holiday survival episodes:

Ep.16 “When Holidays Feel Hard” with Dr. Vassilia Binensztok

Ep.17 "Holiday Survival Guide: 3 Quiet Hacks” with Lizzie Shutt

Download the guide HERE to carry the supportive hacks with you into the party!

If this episode helped, please share it with someone who dreads holiday food talk — it can be a very thoughtful gift you give this year ❤️

Leave us a review — it truly helps more people find the show and spread the message it's never too late to heal.

You’ll actually practice each one during the episode so your body already knows what to do when the moment comes, tune in for:

• Using Mindfulness of Emotions and SUDS scale to address emotional dysregulation early
• The STOP skill — the pause button to keep your sanity
• Soothing Touch — to calm your nervous system with zero words
• The Self-Compassion Break — for guilt, shame, or negative self-talk spirals

FREE DOWNLOAD: Mindful Holiday Survival Kit cheat-sheet linked below

https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/pl/2148723154

Share this episode with a friend or family member you know will be navigating a challenging holiday season and leave us a 5 Star review to support these tools reaching others in the seasonal slumps (because you/we are not alone).

Explore upcoming classes and retreats at www.sacredtreehouse.org

Triggers around the holidays are incredibly common and often tied to old attachment patterns or childhood experiences, sometimes operating unconsciously. The first step toward healing is awareness: noticing the physical cues, emotional shifts, and reactive patterns that show up during this time of year. And because the holidays can pull on so many internal threads, boundaries—both internal and external—become essential tools for protecting your energy and staying grounded.

Whether it’s family conflict, old attachment wounds, grief, or the pressure to “feel festive,” this episode offers grounding, validating guidance for anyone who finds this season difficult.

In This Episode, We Explore:

• Nervous system signs that your body is preparing for stress—and how to recognize them early
• Practical strategies for building regulation and capacity during emotionally charged moments
• How mindfulness and self-compassion help interrupt shame and “should” thinking
• Creative ways to reclaim the holidays and make them your own—even if past memories are painful
• How to talk with partners and loved ones about boundaries, expectations, and emotional needs during this season

About Our Guest

Dr. Vassilia Binensztok is a psychotherapist, trauma expert, writer, and founder of a group practice supporting clients across the lifespan. She specializes in complex trauma, relational wounds, anxiety, and somatic work—and brings a grounded, heartfelt approach to healing.

Private Practice: https://www.junocounseling.com/about-us/about-dr-binensztok

Surviving and Savoring Thanksgiving: https://citylifestyle.com/articles/surviving-and-savoring-thanksgiving

Whether you find yourself over-giving, over-scheduling, or feeling anxious before family gatherings, this episode offers gentle tools to prepare, regulate, and find moments of genuine connection amid the chaos.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why the holidays can activate old family patterns and attachment wounds
• How the nervous system prepares for rejection, judgment, or disappointment
• Common survival responses (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) that surface during family gatherings
• Mindfulness practices to notice triggers before they take over
• Self-compassion strategies for soothing and grounding when activated
• How to set boundaries, create new rituals, and give yourself permission to opt out when needed
• Ways to support others who might be struggling this season

Key Takeaway:

You don’t need to perform joy to belong. Slowing down, noticing what’s happening in your body, and meeting yourself with compassion can transform how you move through the holidays—and your relationships. #GiftofPresence

Connect with Us:

👉 Follow @SacredTreehouse on Instagram

👉 Learn more about upcoming mindfulness events at Sacred Treehouse

👉 Have a question or topic you’d like us to explore? Send us a message—we’d love to hear from you!

Whether you’re single, in a relationship, or simply curious about self-compassion, this episode is packed with actionable guidance to cultivate kindness toward yourself and others, improve communication, and create healthier, more secure connections.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why self-compassion is essential for meeting your own emotional needs and choosing healthier relationships.
• How early attachment experiences influence our ability to give and receive compassion.
• Practical exercises for couples and individuals to foster connection, gratitude, and safety.
• How men and partners often engage with self-compassion differently—and why couples programs can be a gentle entry point.
• Communication tools to help partners listen deeply without trying to fix or solve.

“Even if your partner wants to, or your doctor wants to… they can’t always be there for you. But with self-compassion, you always have access.” – Michelle Becker

Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:

• Michelle’s Book: Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving Connection
• Explore Michelle's Couples Program: https://wisecompassion.com/about/
• Mindful Self-Compassion Course with Patty: https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/msc

For couples interested in attending a couples retreat, please fill out our interest for to be notified when enrollment opens: https://forms.gle/cQxaz9HfurJjH4Zh9

Family Constellation invites us to see how our struggles may not start with us — they often belong to the wider family system. Through group representation, unseen loyalties, ruptures, and inherited generational patterns can surface and find resolution in ways that words alone could never reach.

Lizzie and Patty share personal stories and reflections from their own experiences in constellations — revealing how healing often unfolds quietly, gently, and beyond the intellect. They discuss how group work itself becomes a container for safety and transformation, offering deep shifts in connection, belonging, and flow.

This conversation also gives a glimpse into their upcoming In Tune with Life Retreat — a four-day immersive experience happening January 1–4, 2026 in Florida. The retreat weaves mindfulness, self-compassion, and family constellation work to help participants release old patterns, reconnect with life’s natural flow, and begin the new year grounded and renewed.

✨ Learn more about the In Tune with Life Retreat

→ https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/in-tune-with-life-retreat

Listen now to discover:

• How family constellation reveals generational patterns we carry
• Why group healing is such a powerful catalyst for transformation
• The connection between attachment theory, nervous system repair, and collective healing
• What it feels like to experience a constellation from the inside
• How retreat spaces recreate the conditions for safety, presence, and deep connection, essential ingredients for attachment trauma healing

Using powerful metaphors from the natural world, Patty and Lizzie discuss how true growth and healing can only happen when we feel safe—when the “soil” of our inner world is rich enough to allow new branches of transformation to grow.

Conversation Highlights:

• The intersection of evidence-based therapy and energy healing
• Lessons and insights from their Amazon retreat experience
• How group work fosters safety and co-regulation
• The vital role of self-compassion and mindfulness in trauma healing
• Why integrating science and spirit offers deeper whole-healing

Upcoming Retreat:

If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to join us in 2026 for our In Tune with Life Retreat + Family Constellation — a transformational 4-day immersive experience blending mindfulness, systemic healing, yoga, and nourishing community at the beautiful ATHA Retreat House.

January 1–4, 2026 at ATHA Retreat House and Yoga Shala in Delray Beach, FL

Click to learn more + reserve your spot or visit our website www.SacredTreehouse.org

You’ll also hear about two transformative pathways we’ve explored this season:

✨Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) — as shared through Trish Magyari’s story of healing from chronic illness and trauma, and learning to turn toward the body with gentleness.

✨Mindful Communication (Nonviolent Communication) — through our conversation with Jen Brummer, uncovering how identifying our feelings and needs helps us move from conflict to connection.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in old patterns, disconnected from your body, or unsure how to express your needs, this episode offers hope, practical insight, and an invitation to begin again — with awareness, compassion, and curiosity.

Explore all upcoming classes and retreats at www.SacredTreehouse.org

Mindful Communication Class Info

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Class Info

New Year's Retreat - Delray Beach Florida

In this episode of Bonded, we welcome psychologist Maria do Carmo and her translator/daughter Maíra Irigaray to explore the profound practice of Family Constellation. Rooted in the teachings of Bert and Sophie Hellinger, this approach reveals the hidden dynamics, unresolved pain, and inherited patterns that influence our lives—often without us realizing it. We will be bringing Maria's work to the US, explore this link for upcoming retreats and experiences.

Through conversation and personal stories, we explore:

✨ What Family Constellation is and how it works

✨ How ancestral wounds can impact our relationships, career, and well-being

✨ Why group work creates such powerful healing—even for those simply participating as representatives

✨ The sacred balance of family hierarchy and why honoring it is key to healing

Explore the January 2026 offerings: HERE

Whether you’re new to constellation work or have experienced it before, this conversation opens the door to a deeper understanding of how love, pain, and healing flow through family systems—and how we can reconnect to that invisible field with compassion and awareness.

Jen shares her personal journey with NVC—from people-pleasing and burnout to discovering the tools that helped her navigate grief, parenting, and partnership with more ease and authenticity. She also explains how feelings and needs are at the heart of every interaction, and why identifying them can shift us from blame and reactivity into understanding and choice.

Whether you struggle with unmet needs from childhood, find yourself caught in reactive patterns, or simply long for more harmony in your relationships, this episode will give you a glimpse into the practical and life-changing tools of NVC.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How feelings point us toward unmet (or fulfilled) needs.
• Why identifying needs is key to healing relational and attachment wounds.
• How roleplay, playfulness, and creativity make NVC more accessible.
• The connection between NVC, inner child work, and self-compassion.
• Simple strategies to move from conflict to connection in daily life.

Links & Resources:

Join Jen for her Free Intro Class: Mindful Communication → HERE

Sign up for the 8-Week Mindful Communication Program → HERE

Book mentioned: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg

Tools Jen loves: GROK the World

Anni shares approachable take-home tips and a guided practice in how reconnecting to our physical selves in the present moment can restore safety, trust, and build peace, a critical piece of healing early attachment ruptures.

🌳 Connect with Anni on Instagram @inner_mastery_mentoring https://www.annijohnston.com/

⭐ Leave a 5 Star Review to support the Podcast in reaching more listeners who need to hear “it’s never too late to heal.”

⭐ Connect with Patty and Lizzie on Instagram @sacredtreehouse or visit www.thebondedpodcast.com

Key Takeaways

• Somatic healing is essential for repairing attachment wounds because the body remembers what the mind didn't have the capacity to understand.
• Somatic practices create safety, regulation, and trust in the nervous system.
• Community healing is pivotal for resilience and transformation.
• Daily reflection and mindfulness practice, like Anni’s Building Resilience Journal, can strengthen inner resources so you can grow through what you go through.

Explore Anni's free and low-cost journals to support you in cultivating joy and inner strength in daily life, www.annijohnston.com/inner-mastery-resources/

🌳 SEO Keywords to Help The Bonded Podcast Grow

Somatic Healing, Dance Movement Therapy, Attachment Trauma, Insecure Attachment, Mind-Body Connection, Trauma Healing, Body-Based Therapy, Community Healing, Emotional Safety, Nervous System Regulation, Developing Resilience

Together we explore:

• How EFT Tapping tapping works on the body’s energy system to calm emotions, regulate the nervous system, and help release trauma.
• Matrix Reimprinting – a powerful practice for reconnecting with younger parts of ourselves to heal early trauma and strengthen attachment bonds.
• The importance of safety and trust in trauma healing work, and how to create the conditions for real transformation.
• Learning to Find Love – Alina’s program for helping people attract and sustain healthy relationships, with insights on dating, apps, and why the “right person” can actually support your healing journey.

Resources:

• Listeners get an exclusive 20% off discount using this page https://www.learningtofindlove.com/specially-priced-course/
• Learn more about Alina Frank: https://www.tapyourpower.net
• Book: How to Want Sex Again
• EFT International Research: https://eftinternational.org/research/

Trish shares her own story of turning to mindfulness during a period of illness and pain, and how practices like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) became a lifeline. She opens up about navigating perfectionism, early trauma, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue—and how mindfulness helped her not only cope, but reconnect with her body in a radically different way.

Together, we explore:

• How MBSR supports people living with chronic pain, autoimmune illness, and trauma
• Why mindfulness offers relief even when the body feels like the last place you want to turn
• The importance of trauma-sensitive mindfulness and going at your own pace
• Practical ways to begin, including connecting with nature as a gentle doorway into awareness
• Why “slower is faster” when it comes to healing and self-compassion

If you’ve ever felt at odds with your body—or longed for a kinder, more supportive way to live with pain, stress, or trauma—this conversation is full of wisdom, warmth, and hope.

Join Trish's upcoming virtual MBSR class starting October 17th 2025 learn more at www.sacredtreehouse.org https://sacred-treehouse.mykajabi.com/mbsrclass

About Trish Magyari:

Trish is a mindfulness teacher, licensed therapist, and researcher who specializes in trauma-sensitive mindfulness, MBSR for chronic health conditions, and eco-mindfulness. She has trained with Jon Kabat-Zinn and has dedicated her career to helping people find healing through compassionate awareness.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Dr. Patty's story of coming to learn mindfulness personally and use it professionally for trauma healing.
• The power of mindfulness in breaking cycles of reactivity.
• Why self-compassion is a direct antidote to shame.
• Practical ways to integrate mindfulness + self-compassion into daily life, with a guided practice at the end.

⭐ If this conversation resonates with you, share it with someone who might need these reminders. And make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our new episodes, arriving every Wednesday.

⭐ Connect with Patty and Lizzie on Instagram @sacredtreehouse and at www.thebondedpodcast.com

⭐Ways to get further support:

Upcoming Live Mindfulness Courses: www.sacredtreehouse.org

Mindfulness coaching is offered through Sacred Treehouse, email us at info@sacredtreehouse.org

For therapy reach Dr. Patty and her team at Therapeutic Oasis of the Palm Beaches + Lizzie and her team at Beenen Therapy Group in Jacksonville, Florida.

In this episode, Dr. Patty and Lizzie Shutt explore the impact of attachment trauma and developmental trauma, shedding light on how early disruptions in the caregiver–child bond shape our emotional lives. Drawing on clinical wisdom and lived experience, they break down what trauma really means, why two people can have such different responses to the same event, and how these early experiences ripple into adulthood.

Through stories and reflections, they discuss how insecure attachment styles often develop as adaptations for survival—and why awareness, self-compassion, and relational support are key to healing. You’ll also hear how trauma can manifest in the body, create difficulties with trust, and even lead to feelings of emptiness or disconnection that are hard to name.

The episode offers hope: while attachment wounds run deep, they are not permanent. With mindfulness, self-compassion, somatic practices, and supportive relationships, healing is always possible.

⭐ Leave a 5 Star Review to support the podcast in reaching more listeners who need to hear “it’s never too late to heal.”

⭐ Connect with Patty and Lizzie on Instagram @sacredtreehouse and at www.thebondedpodcast.com

⭐Ways to get further support: Mindfulness Coaching or Psychotherapy (in-person and virtual)

Mindfulness coaching is offered through Sacred Treehouse contact info@sacredtreehouse.org

For therapy reach Dr. Patty and her team at Therapeutic Oasis of the Palm Beaches + Lizzie and her team at Beenen Therapy Group in Jacksonville, Florida.

Key Takeaways

• Trauma is not the event, but what happens inside of us as a result of the event.
• Attachment trauma occurs when there is a rupture or chronic misattunement in the bond with a caregiver.
• Trauma can manifest as emptiness, difficulty trusting, or emotional/physical symptoms.
• Healing does not come from “figuring out why,” but through embodied presence, mindfulness, and supportive connection.
• Group work and community can be powerful antidotes to relational trauma.
• Parenting after loss or trauma requires awareness and support to break cycles of pain.

🌳 SEO Keywords to Help The Bonded Podcast Grow

Attachment Trauma, Developmental Trauma, Insecure Attachment, Anxious Attachment, Avoidant Attachment, Disorganized Attachment, Healing Trauma, Trauma and Relationships, Mindfulness and Trauma, Childhood Attachment, Somatic Healing, Emotional Resilience, Relational Healing

⭐ Leave a 5 Star Review or share this episode with a loved one to support Bonded's growth out to communities that need to hear this message of hope and understanding.

⭐ Connect with Patty and Lizzie on Instagram @sacredtreehouse or our website www.thebondedpodcast.com

️‍🌳 SEO Keywords to Help The Bonded Podcast Grow

Attachment Theory, Relationship Patterns, Emotional Health, Secure Attachment, Anxious Attachment, Avoidant Attachment, Disorganized Attachment, Trauma Healing, Healing Childhood Wounds, Self-Compassion, Childhood Trauma

⭐ Leave a 5 Star Review to support the Podcast in reaching more listeners that need to hear "it's never too late to heal"

⭐ Connect with Patty and Lizzie on Instagram @sacredtreehouse at our website www.thebondedpodcast.com

Key Takeaways

• Secure attachment is a deep trusting bond.
• Children need to feel safe, seen, and soothed to develop secure attachment.
• There is no perfect parenting, consistency is what matters.
• We can recreate secure attachment in adult relationships, such as therapeutic relationship.
• Attachment styles can vary with different caregivers.
• Healing attachment wounds requires community support.

️‍️‍🌳 SEO Keywords to Help The Bonded Podcast Grow

Attachment Theory, Relationship Patterns, Emotional Health, Dr. Dan Siegel, Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, Secure Attachment, Anxious Attachment, Avoidant Attachment, Disorganized Attachment, Developing Resilience, Healing Childhood Attachment, Trauma Healing, Trauma-informed Mindfulness

⭐ Leave a 5 Star Review and share it with friend to help create a more BONDED world!

⭐ Connect with Patty and Lizzie on Instagram @sacredtreehouse at our website www.thebondedpodcast.com

⭐ Explore your attachment style in this research-backed quiz: https://www.web-research-design.net/cgi-bin/crq/crq.pl

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Attachment Theory, Relationship Patterns, Emotional Health, John Bowlby, Mary Ainsworth, Secure Attachment, Anxious Attachment, Avoidant Attachment, Disorganized Attachment. Healing Attachment Trauma

This podcast is born from the heart of our Sacred Treehouse and our family home, a project we're so excited to share with you. For years, I've helped countless individuals heal from deep wounds, and now, in this stage of my career, my desire is to reach even more of you. My beautiful daughter, Lizzie, my "little Buddha" and one of my most important teachers, joins me on this journey. She'll be exploring how connecting with nature can deepen our understanding of ourselves and our relationships.

We're diving into the world of attachment theory – how our early experiences shape our adult relationships. We'll show you that it's never too late to heal, to find secure attachment, and to truly connect. We believe connection is the cure to so many of the challenges we face today.

Through personal stories, insights from psychology, neuroscience, spirituality, and of course, nature's wisdom, we'll break down complex ideas into simple, actionable steps. We want to empower you to see that healing is possible, that your relationships with yourself and others can transform.

We're a mother-daughter duo, bringing you a blend of fun, learning, and laughter. Our hope is to inspire you, provide resources, and remind you that you are worthy of deep connection and profound healing.

Join us as we explore how to live more connected and authentic to our true selves. We're excited to get bonded with you!

Connect with Us:

• Instagram: @SacredTreehouse
• Website: thebondedpodcast.com