Spiritual Friction: A Space for Deep Feelers

Guest

Liz Albanis — Senior Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist, and Trauma-Informed Health & Wellness Coach

Episode Summary

In this reflective and deeply personal episode of Spiritual Friction: A Space for Deep Feelers, Laurel LeMohn sits down with yoga therapist and trauma-informed health & wellness coach Liz Albanis for There's Nothing Wrong With You: Trauma, Yoga, and Healing Your Nervous System.

Together, they explore trauma, nervous system regulation, yoga, grief, embodied healing, addiction recovery, the vagus nerve, and what it means to come home to your body when everything has told you something is wrong with it.

Liz has survived childhood sexual assault, two devastating house fires, miscarriage, the loss of her mother, and a 15-year smoking habit she couldn't shake—until she walked into her first hot yoga class. She wasn't looking for transformation. She thought she was simply going to a hot yoga class to burn some calories. What she found instead was her nervous system beginning, slowly and quietly, to regulate for the first time.

Together, Laurel and Liz explore what it means to hold space for others—and for ourselves—without pushing, without forcing, and without believing healing requires us to become someone different than we are.

"Their conversation honors the body as a place of truth, not a problem to be solved."

And it returns, again and again, to one quiet, steady message:

There is nothing wrong with you.

What We Explore in This Episode

Why no two bodies move the same way—and how skeletal variation changes the way we think about healing, yoga, and pain
What it means to grow up believing you're "not trying hard enough"
The relief of discovering there was never anything wrong with you
How yoga became a pathway out of addiction and into nervous system regulation
The second house fire that re-traumatized Liz—and what followed
Invitational language, sacred containers, and the gift of offering choice
The vagus nerve, tremoring, fascia, and what happens when the body is finally allowed to release
Why our thoughts are not complete reality
Trauma-informed yoga, embodied healing, and creating safety through choice
What Liz would say to little Liz—and to anyone walking a lonely path today

Key Quotes

"Yoga poses are like penicillin—one may be medicine for you, but poison to your neighbor."

"I think a lot of people don't get that—even if you've gone through the same thing, because of our biology and our past experiences, we're going to have a different reaction."

"There's nothing wrong with you." "You've been through a lot for a child. Keep trying. Ignore those who tell you there's something wrong with you. You are not alone in this experience—but your experience is completely unique."

"Yoga saved me." "I don't think that's an exaggeration."

Why This Conversation Matters

So many of us have spent years believing we simply aren't trying hard enough.

That everyone else can do the thing we can't.

That there's something fundamentally wrong with the way we're built.

Liz's story—of being told she was "dumb," that there was something "wrong" with her, and that she might as well stop trying—is also a story of slowly, imperfectly, and tenderly finding her way back to Self.

Not by fixing herself.

But by finally being met where she was.

If you've ever thought:

"I should be able to handle this on my own."

If you've ever wondered whether your nervous system is responding exactly as it was designed to after trauma...

Or questioned why you're still carrying something everyone else seems to have moved beyond...

This conversation is for you.

About the Guest

Liz Albanis is a senior yoga teacher of nearly 14 years, yoga therapist, and trauma-informed health & wellness coach based in Canberra, Australia.

Her work focuses on trauma-informed healing, nervous system regulation, embodied recovery, and making yoga accessible for every body. She trained through the Biomedical Institute of Yoga and Meditation (BIOME) and is registered with Yoga Australia.

Liz's work is shaped by both advanced training and lived experience—including surviving childhood trauma, two house fires, miscarriage, the loss of her mother, and years of believing there was something wrong with her.

Website: https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizalbaniswellnessau/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lizalbaniswellnessau

Podcast: Yoga for Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga

About the Host

Laurel LeMohn is an integrative trauma therapist, founder of SoulBody Wellness, and host of Spiritual Friction: A Space for Deep Feelers—a podcast exploring healing, trauma, nervous system regulation, spirituality, and what it means to be human through heartfelt, reflective conversations.

Her work brings together trauma-informed care, narrative therapy, somatic awareness, nervous system regulation, and spirituality to create grounded, compassionate spaces where greater self-understanding, connection, and transformation become possible.

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Spiritual Friction: A Space for Deep Feelers is an educational and storytelling podcast and is not a substitute for psychotherapy, medical care, or mental health treatment. Listening to this podcast does not establish a therapeutic relationship. If you are experiencing emotional distress or are in crisis, please contact a qualified mental health professional or your local emergency services.

Episode 14: Intuition Doesn't Shout: How to Trust Your Inner Knowing — with Dr. Carol Talbot

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Dr. Carol Talbot — PhD in Quantum Morphogenetic Physics, architect of Multi-Dimensional Intelligence, author, keynote speaker, and creator of the MDI (Multi-Dimensional Intelligence) Entrainment Series and Multi-Dimensional Field Scans.

Episode Summary

In this expansive and quietly extraordinary episode of Spiritual Friction: A Space for Deep Feelers, Laurel LeMohn sits down with Dr. Carol Talbot for a conversation that moves between worlds — the seen and the unseen, the known and the still-becoming.

Carol is the architect of Multi-Dimensional Intelligence — a framework that explores our capacity to receive, transmit, and perceive across layers of consciousness beyond linear thought. But what makes this conversation so rich isn't only the science. It's the care underneath it. The way Carol speaks about intuition, identity, rest, healing, and human potential — with grounded precision and a tenderness that others will recognize immediately.

Together, Laurel and Carol explore why intuition doesn't announce itself the way anxiety does. Why an old identity may be keeping you from the life you're trying to create. Why rest is not a reward — but a form of repair. And what it means to be, as Carol describes, one of the fireflies: waking up, brightening, and slowly coming into sync with one another.

What We Explore in This Episode

What Multi-Dimensional Intelligence is — and why you're already connected to it
Why intuition whispers while trauma and anxiety shout
The link between your energetic signal and your identity
Rest as repair — and what the nervous system actually needs
How your past identity keeps you living from an old story
Navigating timelines: what happens when you lead with the future instead of the past
What walking across hot coals teaches us about possibility and self-belief
Holding yourself to a higher standard in healing work
Nervous system regulation and learning to trust your body's signals
The morphogenetic field and becoming a firefly of consciousness

Key Quotes

"Intuition doesn't shout. Trauma shouts. Anxiety shouts. Intuition and these gifts come more as a whisper."

"Your past ties you to a specific identity. When it comes to shift and change, most people are operating from an old identity, an old role, and wondering why they can't change."

"Rest as repair. Not a nicety — a necessity."

"You never know what seeds you've planted, what lights you've lit."

The Dip In

There's a moment in this conversation when Laurel shares something she's rarely spoken about publicly.

She describes being a child — the channels getting louder and louder, spirits and frequencies flooding in — until one day, folding laundry in her bedroom, she raised her hands and said: "No. I am not ready. I need to live the life of Laurel."

And Carol meets her there. Not with a technique. Not a correction. With recognition.

"You've mastered the art," Carol tells her, "of finding that balance. And having a life."

That exchange is where this conversation becomes something different. Not an interview. Not a framework presentation. A genuine meeting between two people who have each learned, in their own way, how to move between worlds without losing themselves in the crossing.

The dip in is where the real conversation begins.

Why This Conversation Matters

Many of us sense things we can't quite name. We feel the room shift. We know before we know. And then we question it — or silence it — because the world hasn't always offered a framework that honors it.

Carol's work offers one. And Laurel's willingness to share her own story in this episode — the child who turned down the volume, the healer who's slowly and intentionally turning it back up — offers something perhaps even rarer: permission.

If you've ever felt like the signal inside you was too much, not trusted, or not yet ready to be fully heard, this conversation holds that with care.

About the Guest

Dr. Carol Talbot holds a PhD in Quantum Morphogenetic Physics and is the architect of Multi-Dimensional Intelligence, a pioneering framework redefining human potential. She is the author of four books, including Multi-Dimensional Intelligence: Activating a Higher Blueprint for Human Evolution, and the creator of Multi-Dimensional Field Scans, the MDI Entrainment Series, and Mastery Mapping Technology. She is the recipient of the Forttuna Global Achievements 2026 Visionary of the Year Award and a master firewalk instructor with over twenty years of experience.

Website: https://multi-dimensionalintelligence.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carolktalbot/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.talbot.946/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcaroltalbot/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/carolkt10

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 13: Pain Is Our Greatest Teacher: Near-Death, Trauma, and Reclaiming Wholeness — with Dr. Colleen Quinn

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Dr. Colleen Quinn — Transpersonal Psychologist, Mystic, Breathwork Practitioner, Author, and Two-Time Near-Death Survivor

Episode Summary

What if the hardest moments of our lives are some of our most compassionate teachers?

In this episode, Laurel sits down with Dr. Colleen Quinn for an intentional, depth-oriented conversation about near-death experiences, breathwork, embodied healing, and the slow process of coming back to yourself after survival.

Colleen has been to the edge of this life twice — a car accident that took her to the threshold, and a pneumonia that left her gasping for a single breath. Lying on the floor, arms open wide, she finally surrendered with the words: "Let me be love in every moment."

What followed wasn't a quick recovery. It was a slow, embodied return to Self — through breathwork, nervous system regulation, somatic healing, and the patient work of listening to the wisdom of her body.

Colleen shares what it was like to live as "a walking head" before breathwork found her. What it means to surrender. How pain — befriended, not avoided — becomes one of our most compassionate teachers. And what it means to live fully open-hearted.

This is a conversation for anyone who has wondered if the hardest moments of their life had meaning — and for anyone moving out of survival mode and quietly finding their way back to themselves.

What We Explore in This Episode

Near-death experiences as spiritual awakenings
Breathwork as a path back to the body
Trauma recovery and nervous system regulation
Surrender as the doorway to healing
Pain as a compassionate teacher
Embodied healing and the wisdom of the body
Moving out of survival mode and back into wholeness
Relational healing and meeting yourself where you are

Key Quotes

"Let me be love in every moment."

"At the very end of our own strength, that's when our hearts can crack open for love to finally come in."

"When we drop down to love somebody exactly as they are, they finally feel safe enough and free enough to become more than they are."

Why This Episode Matters

So many of us are living from the neck up. Carrying our stories in our minds while our bodies quietly hold the weight of everything we've survived.

But the body has its own wisdom. Its own pace. Its own way of bringing us back.

This conversation is a reminder that healing isn't about pushing through — it's about surrendering into what is. Slowly. Embodied. With breath. With love. With the trust that even pain can be a teacher, if we let it be.

A Note on Content

This episode discusses near-death experiences, medical trauma, and survival. Please listen when you have space and support to receive it.

About the Guest

Dr. Colleen Quinn is a transpersonal psychologist, mystic, and breathwork practitioner whose work invites others into embodied healing through breathwork, somatic practices, and the slow return to wholeness.

She is the author of Essence Merging — a spiritual memoir of devotion, conscious breathwork, and the transcendent power of love.

Website: https://www.essencemerging.com

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 12: Healing the Root: Trauma, Spiritual Awakening, and Finding Wholeness — with Laura Ellen

Tue, 19 May 2026 13:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Laura Ellen — Artist, Jeweler, Spiritual Teacher, and Founder of Sacred Heart Healing in Northern California

Episode Summary

Some healing journeys take us all the way to the bottom before they bring us home to ourselves.

In this episode, Laurel sits down with Laura Ellen for an intentional, depth-oriented conversation about trauma healing, the body's wisdom, and what it means to come back to yourself after years of soul fragmentation.

Laura shares her healing journey from childhood sensitivity and unspoken trauma into the numbing patterns that followed her into adulthood — and the chronic, hidden wound at the base of her spine that became an invitation to listen. She opens up about living with a fistula connected to her root chakra, and how curiosity, faith, and a willingness to feel her emotions slowly guided her back toward wholeness.

Together, they explore root chakra healing, Angelic Reiki, Access Consciousness Bars, soul contracts, past lives, mediumship and dream visitations, nervous system regulation, and the quiet, embodied work of reconnecting with yourself — and with the Earth that holds us.

This episode also marks a deeply personal moment for Laurel — speaking openly about her own grief and her ability to communicate with the deceased.

What We Explore in This Episode

The body as a messenger of truth
Root chakra healing and trauma recovery
Angelic Reiki and energetic clearing
Past lives, soul contracts, and exit points
Mediumship and dream visitations
Meeting your younger self with love
Reconnecting with yourself through the body
Collective awakening and creating heaven on earth

Key Quotes

"You have everything you need inside of you to heal."

"We don't heal hiding under a rock. We heal when we reach out and share."

Why This Episode Matters

So many of us were taught to override the body. To push through. To numb. To keep going.

But the body keeps a careful record. And sometimes, the only way back is the slow, vulnerable work of listening to what it has been trying to say.

This conversation is a reminder that healing isn't about fixing yourself — it's about coming back to yourself. Layer by layer. Breath by breath. With faith, with community, and with the quiet trust that you were never broken to begin with.

A Note on Content

This episode touches gently on sexual trauma, chronic illness, and grief. Please listen when you have space and support to receive it.

About the Guest

Laura Ellen is an artist, jeweler, and spiritual teacher, and the founder of Sacred Heart Healing in Northern California. She offers tarot and oracle card readings, healing stone therapy, Angelic Reiki, and Access Consciousness Bars facilitation.

Instagram: @sacredhearthealing1111 and @laurelleflower

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 11: You Were Never Too Much: Reclaiming Your Voice After Trauma — with Sophia Graniela

Tue, 05 May 2026 13:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Sophia Graniela — Self-expression and podcast guide, EFT tapping practitioner, and host of Her Journey Home

Episode Summary

Some voices are silenced over time—not because they aren’t powerful, but because they didn’t feel safe to be heard.

In this episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel and Sophia explore what it means to reclaim your voice after years of silence, self-doubt, and disconnection.

Sophia shares her experience of growing up feeling “too much”—too loud, too emotional, too intense—and how family instability, bullying, and unhealthy relationships led her to suppress her voice and shrink herself to feel safe.

Through sobriety, self-discovery, and podcasting, she began coming home to herself—reconnecting with her voice, her truth, and her capacity to take up space.

Together, Laurel and Sophia reflect on how trauma shapes identity, the courage it takes to be seen, and the transformative power of sharing your story—not just for others, but for yourself.

This is a conversation about self-expression, healing, and remembering that your voice matters.

What We Explore

• Reclaiming your voice after silence

• Feeling “too much” and learning to take up space

• Trauma, self-worth, and identity

• Sobriety and self-discovery

• Podcasting as a tool for healing

• Vulnerability as strength

• Being seen and finding community

Key Quotes

“I learned it wasn’t safe to be me.”

“Podcasting didn’t just change my life—it gave me my voice back.”

“You are worthy, exactly as you are.”

Why This Episode Matters

Many people move through life feeling disconnected from their voice—questioning their worth, shrinking themselves, or believing they are too much.

This conversation offers a different perspective:

Your voice was never the problem. It may have just never felt safe to use.

If you’re navigating healing, identity shifts, or self-expression, this episode offers a grounded reminder:

You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to be seen. And your voice matters.

About the Guest

Sophia Graniela is a self-expression and podcast guide who helps women launch podcasts rooted in authenticity. She is also an EFT tapping practitioner and the host of Her Journey Home, a podcast centered on healing and personal growth.

Connect with Sophia

Website: www.herjourneyhomeco.com

Instagram: @sophiagraniela

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 10: How to Trust Your Inner Wisdom and Transform Trauma Into Creative Healing — with Devorah Brinckerhoff

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Devorah Brinckerhoff — Mixed Media Artist, Founder of Soul Portraits, Transformational Guide

Episode Summary

Some conversations are meant to be held close—ones that invite you into possibility, wonder, and a deeper connection to yourself. This conversation with Devorah Brinckerhoff is one of those.

In this episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel and Devorah explore inner wisdom, intuitive downloads, and transformation through life’s most difficult moments. After a rupture that brought her life to a halt, Devorah found herself in what many describe as a dark night of the soul.

What followed was not a return—but a reassembly.

Through creativity and what she now calls Soul Portraits, Devorah began working with the remnants of her life—letters, documents, and photographs—reconstructing her story and accessing a deeper embodied knowing beyond words.

This conversation weaves together trauma healing, heart-centered awareness, soul contracts, and the quiet ways we come back to ourselves.

What We Explore

• Inner wisdom and intuitive knowing

• Heart-centered awareness

• Intuitive downloads

• The dark night of the soul

• Transforming trauma through creativity

• Soul contracts

• Releasing identity and rebuilding from truth

Key Quotes

“Anything is possible.”

“We don’t have to do anything to be worthy—we already are everything we were meant to be.”

“Creativity is our superpower because it connects us with the core of who we are.”

Why This Episode Matters

There are moments when everything falls apart—when identity and meaning dissolve.

For some, this becomes a breaking point. For others, a threshold.

This conversation offers a different perspective: not endings, but invitations into deeper awareness and a more authentic relationship with yourself.

A reminder: your inner wisdom is still there. Your creativity is still accessible. Even in the unraveling—there is possibility.

Connect with Devorah

Website: https://soulportrait.art/

Instagram: @devorahbrinckerhoff

Facebook: Devorah Hake Brinckerhoff & Soul Portraits

TikTok: @soulportrait.art

LinkedIn: Devorah Hake Brinckerhoff

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 09: How to Reconnect With Your Inner Voice and Heal Your Inner Child — with Ashana Kaiulani

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Ashana Kaiulani — Trauma Support Specialist at Break the Silence Alabama, Founder of Way Home Wellness, Host of The Reclamation Room podcast

Episode Summary

There are moments in our lives where something shifts—where we begin to see ourselves and our experiences in a new way. This conversation with Ashana Kaiulani was one of those moments.

In this episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn and Ashana explore intuition, trauma healing, and the quiet ways we learn to disconnect from ourselves in order to survive. Together, they move through the experience of silencing the inner voice—and what it means to begin listening again.

Ashana shares her work supporting women navigating emotional pain and betrayal, and the process of helping them reconnect with who they are beneath those experiences. The conversation weaves through generational trauma, intuitive downloads, somatic experiences such as blushing, full-body chills, and tingling, and the ways the body communicates when we begin to feel safe enough to listen.

This is a grounded conversation on self-trust, inner child healing, and coming home to yourself through awareness, presence, and compassion.

What We Explore

• Reconnecting with your inner voice and intuition

• How trauma can lead us to silence our inner knowing

• Inner child healing and emotional safety

• Somatic awareness and body-based experiences

• Generational trauma and inherited patterns

• Rebuilding self-trust after disconnection

Key Quotes

“I had convinced myself that I'd never had an intuition all along because I had silenced it.”

“You didn’t lose your intuition—you learned to quiet it.”

Why This Episode Matters

Many people feel disconnected from themselves—questioning their intuition, minimizing their needs, or staying small to feel safe.

This conversation offers a different perspective: nothing is missing—there are simply parts of you that adapted.

For those navigating trauma, emotional overwhelm, or identity shifts, this episode offers a gentle reminder that reconnection is possible.

About the Guest

Ashana Kaiulani is a trauma support specialist helping women reconnect with themselves after deep emotional pain. She is the founder of Way Home Wellness and host of The Reclamation Room podcast.

Connect with Ashana

Website: wayhomewellness.com

Instagram: @wayhomewellness

YouTube: @wayhomewellness

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 08: How to Trust Your Voice and Begin Again — with Trish Walker

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Trish Walker — Filmmaker, Storyteller, Founder of Reset to One Productions, Reiki Master

Episode Summary

In this episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn sits down with filmmaker and storyteller, Trish Walker, for a reflective conversation on personal growth, self-discovery, spiritual awakening, and trauma-informed healing.

Many people move through life feeling disconnected from their voice—especially deep feelers, highly sensitive, or intuitive individuals. You may have spent years staying quiet, second-guessing yourself, or wondering if your needs are too much. This conversation meets you right where you are.

Turning fifty became a pivotal moment for Trish. Faced with societal expectations around aging, her mother’s early Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and personal loss, she chose a different path—one rooted in authenticity, creativity, and nervous system regulation.

Together, Laurel and Trish explore storytelling as healing, intuition, and somatic experiences, and how small moments of awareness can lead to meaningful transformation. Trish shares her journey of reclaiming her voice and how it led to her short film When We Show Up, centered on resilience, community, and hope.

For those who have done the work but still feel stuck, this conversation offers a different way of listening—through the body, intuition, and lived experience.

Healing unfolds through self-awareness, embodiment, and reconnecting with your truth.

What We Explore

• Personal growth and starting over

• Finding your voice after silence

• Storytelling as healing and connection

• Spiritual growth and intuition

• Somatic awareness and embodiment

• Nervous system regulation

• Grief, identity shifts, and life transitions

• Practicing hope and self-trust

Key Quotes

“Oh honey, I’m just getting started.”

“There’s still hope.”

“If you don’t do something scary today, nothing’s going to change.”

Why This Episode Matters

If you’ve felt disconnected from your voice or unsure of your path, this conversation is for you.

For those on a healing journey navigating trauma, burnout, or identity shifts, this episode offers connection, validation, and possibility. It gently reminds us:

You’re not too much, and you’re not behind.

You’re just getting started.

About the Guest

Trish Walker is a filmmaker and founder of Reset to One Productions, helping people reconnect with their voice and create with purpose. She is currently developing her short film When We Show Up.

Connect with Trish

Instagram: @trish.walker1

Film: @whenweshowupfilm

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 07: How to Rebuild Your Life After Burnout — with Natasha Agha

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Natasha Agha — Private Practice Strategist, Whole Self Leadership & Alignment Coach

Episode Summary

Many people move through life holding their breath without even realizing it.

They stay busy. They keep producing. They push through exhaustion because they believe they have to.

And over time, survival mode begins to feel normal.

In this episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn sits down with Natasha Agha for an honest and reflective conversation about burnout, identity shifts, nervous system regulation, and what it means to rebuild your life when the structures you relied on stop working.

Natasha shares her personal healing journey from speech-language pathologist and private practice owner to leadership coach after experiencing profound burnout that impacted her health, relationships, finances, and sense of self. When her business collapsed and everything she had built began to unravel, Natasha was forced to slow down and confront a deeper question many high-achieving professionals avoid:

Who am I beyond my work?

Through this authentic and meaningful conversation, Laurel and Natasha explore the physical and emotional signs of burnout, the pressure many clinicians and entrepreneurs feel to constantly perform, and the quiet courage required to pause long enough to listen to the body.

Together, they reflect on how healing and personal transformation often begin when we create space to breathe, reconnect with ourselves, and rebuild our lives from a place of alignment rather than survival.

Key Quotes

“You always have enough time.”

“The only way through fear is through.”

“You already have all the answers — you just have to look deeper.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people in helping professions and entrepreneurship find themselves stuck in cycles of overwork and emotional exhaustion.

Burnout often builds slowly — showing up as irritability, disconnection, fatigue, and the quiet loss of joy in work that once felt meaningful.

Natasha’s story reminds us that sometimes life forces us to pause so we can rebuild from a deeper place of self-awareness, healing, and alignment.

Her journey highlights the importance of listening to the body, creating space for rest, and allowing ourselves the permission to slow down long enough to understand what we truly need.

For anyone navigating burnout, self-doubt, or the pressure to constantly achieve, this conversation offers reassurance that meaningful change often begins with one small step.

Sometimes transformation starts with something as simple as learning how to breathe again.

About the Guest

Natasha Agha is a speech-language pathologist turned private practice strategist and whole-self leadership coach. She is the creator of the Aligned Method, Private Practice Burnout Solution, and host of The Fear Chronicles Podcast.

Connect with Natasha

Website: https://natashaaghaconsulting.co/

Instagram: @natasha_agha_consulting

YouTube: @NatashaAghaConsulting

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 06: Learning to Trust Yourself After Trauma — with Jen Chambers

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 14:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Jen Chambers — Writer, Podcaster

Episode Summary

In this honest and deeply reflective episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Jen Chambers for a heartfelt conversation about trauma, recovery, identity, and what it means to learn to trust yourself again after everything changes.

Jen shares her experience of surviving a devastating car accident at fifteen that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and the loss of all memory from her first fifteen years of life. She speaks openly about the fear, confusion, and disorientation of waking up without a past — and the long, nonlinear journey of relearning how to walk, read, write, and slowly rebuild a sense of self without the memories that once anchored her identity.

Together, Laurel and Jen explore disability, shame, persistence, and the quiet courage it takes to keep choosing yourself after trauma. Their conversation honors healing as a process that cannot be rushed — one shaped by breathwork, self-compassion, curiosity, and the slow rebuilding of trust in your own body, instincts, and inner voice.

What We Explore in This Episode

Trauma recovery after traumatic brain injury

Losing memory and rebuilding identity

Learning to trust yourself after trauma

Living with disability and releasing shame

Breathwork and nervous system regulation

Persistence as a form of resilience

Becoming yourself again — on your own timeline

Key Quotes

“It took me so long to become myself. I don’t have time not to be now.”

“Learning to trust yourself sounds simple, but it’s the work of a lifetime.”

“I wasn’t broken. I could still be great.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people living with trauma, disability, or chronic illness feel pressure to “get back” to who they were before. This episode offers a compassionate reframe: healing doesn’t mean returning to an old version of yourself — it means learning who you are now and choosing to trust that person.

Jen's story reminds us that recovery is rarely linear, that shame can quietly shape our self-beliefs, and that persistence — especially when paired with care and presence — can become a powerful form of self-trust. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body, your past, or your sense of identity, this conversation offers permission to slow down and meet yourself where you are.

About the Guest

Jen Chambers is a writer, publisher, teacher, and podcast host. A former newspaper and magazine columnist, she founded TEDxVenetaWomen and attended the Iowa Summer Writing Program. After surviving a traumatic brain injury at 15 that erased her early memories, she relearned everything from walking to speaking, a journey that deeply informs her work.

Her award-winning writing inspired a museum exhibit, fulfilling a lifelong goal, and her latest book is The Murder of Sheriff W. W. Withers & Other Eugene Cases (Arcadia Publishing, 2025). She hosts the podcasts Beyond The Margins with Jen Chambers and Same Crime, Different Time, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Instagram: @j_b_chambers

Substack: https://jbchambers.substack.com/

Website: http://www.jennifer-chambers.com/website

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 05: Beyond Numbing: Healing Trauma After Addiction — with Jake Petrykowski

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

Whether you come to share, listen, or simply be present, you're welcome here.

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Guest

Jake Petrykowski —Nutrition & Wellness Educator, Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Coach, Certified Peer Support Specialist

Episode Summary

In this honest and profound episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Jake Petrykowski for a meaningful conversation about healing, trauma, nervous system regulation, emotional safety, and boundaries—and what it looks like to stop running from pain and start living with intention.

Jake shares his journey as a lifelong student of nutrition and wellness, his years of working in service, and how his path ultimately led him into trauma-informed behavioral health coaching and peer support. Together, Laurel and Jake explore the impact of stigma, the power of language in recovery, and why true healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about honesty, emotional clarity, self-compassion, and learning to stay present in your own body.

They also reflect on the role of breathwork, harm reduction, and small, sustainable shifts—reminding us that meaningful change doesn’t have to be extreme to be life-changing.

What We Explore in This Episode

Trauma, emotional detachment, and learning it’s safe to feel

Shame, stigma, and why language matters in recovery

Harm reduction and meeting people where they are

Breathwork and nervous system regulation in everyday life

Nutrition basics, misinformation, and sustainable wellness

Fatherhood, repair, and choosing understanding over self-judgment

Starting small as a path to lasting change

Key Quotes

“It’s safe to have feelings. It’s healthy to have feelings.”

“The words we use with ourselves and others are so important.”

“Success leaves clues—go slow, and keep it simple.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people live in survival mode—staying busy, staying numb, or staying “fine.” This episode is a compassionate reminder that emotional safety begins with truth: about what hurts, what we’re carrying, and what we actually need.

Jake’s story highlights how trauma can shape our patterns—and how boundaries, understanding, and emotional clarity can open the door to real, sustainable change over time.

If you’ve been feeling disconnected from your body or unsure where to start, this conversation invites you to slow down, breathe, and return to yourself—one honest step at a time.

About the Guest

Jake Petrykowski has studied nutrition and wellness for over 30 years. After completing a 1500-hour sports medicine internship in college, he built a career as a personal trainer and nutritional consultant, educating audiences of thousands while supporting countless clients one-on-one. Over the last six years, Jake has worked as a trauma-informed behavioral health coach, and in 2022 became a certified peer support specialist.

Connect with Jake:

Email: yourwellnesspro@gmail.com

Instagram: @futureselfwellness

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 04: Starting Over at 42: Healing Trauma After Survival — with Kelli Marsh

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Kelli Marsh — Licensed Massage Practitioner, Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritional Coach, Owner of Kelly’s Health & Wellness

Episode Summary

In this honest and grounding episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Kelli Marsh for a deeply personal conversation about healing, trauma, nervous system regulation, and emotional safety—and what it means to start over from self-trust rather than perfection.

Kelli shares her nonlinear journey through childhood trauma, anxiety, self-sabotage, body image struggles, brain injuries, and years of believing she didn’t deserve more than survival. She reflects on how chronic stress shaped her nervous system, relationships, and sense of worth—often pushing herself to exhaustion while minimizing her own pain.

Together, Laurel and Kelli explore the connection between trauma and the body, the courage it takes to set boundaries, and why healing doesn’t need to be rushed to be real.

This episode touches on Kelli’s holistic wellness work, including massage therapy, movement, nutrition, and her introduction to quantum biofeedback as a tool for increasing body awareness and supporting nervous system regulation.

What We Explore in This Episode

Starting over and redefining identity
Trauma, the nervous system, and embodied healing
Emotional safety, self-trust, and self-sabotage
Weight, invisibility, and survival strategies
Listening to the body as self-respect

Key Quotes

“If you’re scared, that’s probably the thing you need to do.”

“Starting over doesn’t mean you failed. It means you chose yourself.”

“Nothing about you is wasted.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people live in survival mode—pushing through anxiety, minimizing pain, and believing ease must be earned. This episode offers a reminder that healing can be slow, honest, and compassionate, and that emotional safety begins with listening inward.

If you’re in a season of change or burnout, this conversation is a gentle place to land.

About the Guest

Kelli Marsh is a licensed massage practitioner, certified personal trainer, and certified nutritional coach. She is the owner and CEO of Kelly’s Health & Wellness and supports whole-person healing through body-based care.

Website: https://www.massagebook.com/therapists/kelli-s-health-wellness

Quantum Biofeedback Disclaimer

Quantum biofeedback is a non-invasive wellness technology that helps identify stress patterns in the body by measuring energetic and physiological responses.

During a session, gentle sensors are placed on the head, hands, and feet to read how your body responds to thousands of frequencies associated with physical, emotional, and environmental stressors.

The system then provides customized feedback frequencies designed to support balance in the nervous system. This process helps the body recognize stress patterns and encourages self-regulation and relaxation.

Quantum biofeedback does not diagnose or treat medical conditions, but it can be a powerful tool for gaining insight into stress, supporting nervous system regulation, and promoting overall wellness. Many clients use biofeedback as part of a proactive, holistic approach to health—especially when feeling overwhelmed, fatigued, inflamed, or “out of balance.” Sessions are comfortable, relaxing, and fully clothed, making them suitable for adults and children alike.

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 03: Come Alive: Workaholism, Burnout, and Why Rest Doesn't Feel Safe — with Courtney Weidner

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:20:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Courtney Weidner — Founder of Aligned & Alive Coaching & Creator of The ALIVE Revolution

Episode Summary

In this energizing, laugh-out-loud and deeply honest episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Courtney Weidner—coach, entrepreneur, and creator of The ALIVE Revolution—for a powerful conversation about healing, trauma, nervous system regulation, and emotional safety.

Courtney shares how she spent 27 years in the insurance industry building a life that looked stable and successful on paper, while internally feeling disconnected, overworked, and out of alignment. She opens up about recovery, workaholism, productivity addiction, and the “Grand Pause” of the pandemic—when she realized she had been filling every moment with doing because rest didn’t feel safe.

Together, Laurel and Courtney explore how awareness is the first step toward healing, how trauma and conditioning shape our relationship with rest, and why tending to the nervous system is essential for sustainable growth. They reflect on belonging, village, and emotional safety as foundations for intimacy, self-trust, and aliveness.

This conversation is a call back to presence—a reminder that aliveness isn’t found in the past or the future, but right here, right now.

What We Explore in This Episode

Identity shifts after decades in one career
Workaholism, productivity addiction, and chronic nervous system activation
Emotional safety, belonging, and why village changes everything
Nervous system regulation as a foundation for healing
Intuition, red flags, and trusting inner wisdom
Shadow work, self-acceptance, and reclaiming rejected parts
Relationship growth, intimacy, and self-expression

Key Quotes

“When you don’t know what to do, pour into you—because answers come.”

“Aliveness happens now—in this moment.”

“If you look inside yourself, you’ll always find what you’re looking for.”

Why This Conversation Matters

So many people are living with quiet exhaustion—over-scheduled, under-nourished, and disconnected from their bodies and inner truth. This episode offers a compassionate reminder that healing doesn’t require grinding harder; it begins with awareness, emotional safety, and nervous system support.

If you’ve been feeling burned out, stuck, or unsure what’s next, this conversation offers both permission and momentum.

About the Guest

Courtney Weidner is a coach, entrepreneur, founder of Aligned & Alive Coaching, and the creator of The ALIVE Revolution, a transformational framework supporting self-care, belonging, emotional safety, and purpose.

Website: https://whatmakesyoucomealive.com

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 02: Actually, You Can: Healing, Belonging, and Creating Intentional Spaces — with Liz Frost

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:10:00 -0700

Community & Support

Whether you come to share, listen, or simply be present, you're welcome here.

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Guest

Liz Frost, LICSW — Founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy

Episode Summary

In this powerful and deeply human episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Liz Frost, LICSW—licensed therapist and founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy—for an honest conversation about trauma, belonging, burnout, and what it truly means to create spaces that are safe—not just in theory, but in practice.

Liz shares her winding path from ballet and biochemistry to social work, therapy, and eventually founding her own group practice in Washington State. Along the way, she reflects on childhood trauma, religious harm, systemic burnout in mental health, and the courage it takes to imagine and build something different.

Together, Laurel and Liz explore how healing happens not through perfection or productivity, but through intentionality, community, ethical care, and a belief that meaningful change is possible when we’re willing to put action behind our values.

This episode is an invitation to stop minimizing your pain, honor your resilience, and remember that healing, rest, and meaningful change are not only possible—they’re allowed.

What We Explore in This Episode

What it really means to create intentional, ethical healing spaces
Burnout in mental health systems—and how to prevent it
Phases of trauma healing: denial, grief, anger, and acceptance

Key Quotes

“I think about my life as bonus content now. I’m just doing side quests to help the world.”

“Actually, you can heal. It might not be on the timeline you want—but actually, you can.”

“Burnout doesn’t happen all at once. It happens quietly, without street signs.”

Why This Conversation Matters

So many people—especially helpers, clinicians, and caregivers—are taught to push through exhaustion, silence their needs, and call it dedication. This conversation gently but firmly challenges that narrative.

Liz reminds us that ethical care begins with intentional systems, honest self-reflection, and the courage to imagine safer ways of living and working. If you’ve ever felt overextended, unseen, or unsure whether rest and healing are truly allowed, this episode offers both validation and hope.

About the Guest

Liz Frost, LICSW, is a licensed therapist and the founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy. With nearly a decade of clinical experience, Liz specializes in trauma, religious harm, burnout, and relational healing.

Connect with Liz:

Instagram: @yourhonesttherapist
Instagram: @intentionalspaceshealing
Podcast: With Intention
Practice Website: https://intentionalspaces.com

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more:

Stories held with care.

Disclaimer

Episode 01: Be Like Water: Healing, Consciousness, and What the Body Remembers — with Sayra

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:00:00 -0700

Community & Support

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Guest

Sayra — Artist, Reiki Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, Holistic Healer

Episode Summary

In this deeply reflective episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Sayra—artist, Reiki practitioner, certified yoga teacher, and holistic healer—for a powerful conversation about mental health, trauma recovery, embodiment, and the healing wisdom of water.

Sayra shares her personal journey from a childhood shaped by grief, domestic violence, and instability to a life rooted in somatic healing, nature connection, and spiritual practice. Together, Laurel and Sayra explore how trauma lives in the body, how movement and breath can restore flow, and why water—both within us and around us—may be one of our greatest teachers.

This conversation weaves together trauma-informed care, energy work, feminine embodiment, ancestral memory, and the idea that healing is not about forcing change—but about learning how to flow.

What We Explore in This Episode

The body as a keeper of memory and unprocessed emotion
Reiki, energy work, and embodied healing practices
Consciousness as the foundation of all matter
Nature as healer: grounding, water, and seasonal living
Water as memory, medicine, and master element
Healing through flow instead of resistance
Trusting intuition and taking courageous risks
Releasing identity to reclaim the Self
Offering compassion and reassurance to the younger self

Key Quotes

“Water is the master element. It can flow, it can crash—and it teaches us how to live.”

“I didn’t know I was grieving—I just thought I was depressed.”

“What I was leaving wasn’t just a place—it was an identity.”

“Healing didn’t come from thinking. It came from coming back into my body.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people move through life disconnected from their bodies, intuition, and the natural rhythms meant to support healing. This episode offers a compassionate reminder that healing doesn’t require certainty or perfection—only presence, patience, and a willingness to listen.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward, this conversation invites you to soften, breathe, and remember: flow is always available.

About the Guest

Sayra is an artist, Reiki practitioner, certified yoga teacher, and holistic healer with roots in shamanic lineage practices. Her work centers on whole-person healing—mind, body, and spirit—through movement, energy work, nature connection, and consciousness-based practices. She is deeply committed to creating spaces that support embodiment, intuitive awareness, and reconnection to natural rhythms.

Connect with Sayra:

Website: http://www.flowwithwater.com
Facebook: Sayra Devi

About the Host

Explore more episodes, community offerings, and resources at:

If you're seeking individualized support, I offer virtual trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults throughout California and Washington through Redwood Coast Psychotherapy.

Learn more: