What does play look like when you’re an adult—with responsibilities, guilt, and a nervous system that doesn’t always settle easily? In this episode, I explore what it means to find your way back to play: discovering your own play style, working through differences in how others play, and relearning play as a vital part of connection and well-being. Drawing on polyvagal theory, play research, and personal reflections as a parent and therapist, this episode invites you to rethink play—not as an extra, but as an essential part of being human.

Listening note: This episode builds on the concepts introduced in Episode 4 on polyvagal theory and is best enjoyed after listening to that episode first.

In this episode of Authentically Connected, I sit down with my friend Jen Schneeman for a grounded, deeply human conversation about nervous system regulation, energy, and what authentic resilience really looks like. We explore how resilience isn’t about perfection or staying calm, but about flexibility, repair, and learning to reset in the moment.

Jen shares her journey from high-pressure scientific and military work into trauma-informed, integrative practices that weave together neuroscience, somatics, mindfulness, and energetic awareness. We talk about burnout, motherhood, creativity, and practical, embodied tools—like the ABCs of regulation, energetic boundaries, breathwork discernment, and self-talk—not as ways to fix ourselves, but as ways to stay connected and present.

Together, this conversation invites you to collaborate with your nervous system, honor your sensitivity, tend to your energy, and remember that healing and resilience are built through presence, compassion, and authentic connection.

Jen's websites:

https://www.realhumanperformance.com/

https://www.selfcareandresilience.com/

In this episode of Authentically Connected, join me in a gentle exploration of Polyvagal Theory — the science of how our nervous system moves between safety, stress, and shutdown. I'll explain how to map your own “ladder,” understand your body’s signals, and find your way back to connection. From the wandering vagus nerve to the power of co-regulation and tiny steps out of overwhelm, this episode is a hopeful guide to reshaping your inner world one nervous-system moment at a time. Let this be an invitation to listen inward and rediscover your own rhythm of regulation.

In this episode, I sit down with Arielle Schmidt, my Thai yoga therapist, for a conversation about the body's energetic pathways, Chinese meridians, and the wisdom of the elements. We explore how somatic practices can support emotional release, what it means to listen to the body's subtle signals, and how spirituality weaves into healing. This is a gentle, grounding discussion about coming back into the body, connecting with our inner landscape, and remembering that healing is both physical and deeply soulful.

You can visit www.tranquilityrising.com to learn more about Arielle Schmidt and her Thai yoga therapy practice, Tranquility Rising, which is located in Blue Ash, Ohio.

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Here's the list of healing modalities offered by Arielle that we refer to during this episode:

• Traditional Thai Yoga Bodywork (Northern & Southern style)

• Chinese Medicine Meridian Theory (12 Primary Meridians)

• Applied Functional Medicine for Trauma Healing

• Nervous System Regulation through NARM® (NeuroAffective Relational Model)

• Elemental Embodiment Coaching

• Reflexology & Gua Sha

• Structural and Emotional Repatterning through Aufstellung (Systemic Constellations)

• Movement-based somatic re-integration

• Trauma-informed bodywork for children and families

In this episode, I open up about my personal journey to heal — a path shaped by the power of imagination, the gentle practice of self-compassion, and the transformative lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS). I share how learning to befriend my inner parts allowed deep emotional wounds to begin softening. Together, we’ll explore how visualization and imagination can become healing tools, how compassion toward our inner world changes everything, and how IFS offers a map back to the Self — the calm, wise, and loving center within us all. This episode is an invitation to slow down, turn inward, and remember that the power to heal has been inside you all along.

Welcome to the podcast! In this first episode, I share about my own healing journey and what inspired me to create this space. I talk about how Internal Family Systems (IFS) has changed my life — helping me see my inner world with compassion, curiosity, and love. My hope is that, as you listen, you’ll connect with your own inner parts and discover that healing is less about fixing yourself and more about coming home to who you truly are.