Feminist Wellness

#250: Jaguar Mary X is a ritual performance artist and creator of Midday and Midnight Medicine Journey. Their transformative work is informed by queer and Black feminist discourse, plant sentience, and shamanism, and they’re here this week to offer their wisdom on the beauty of ritual.    After a life-shifting personal experience with mugwort, Jaguar Mary X has been sharing the plant’s healing properties through powerful ritual smudging performances. In this episode, the two of us explore how connecting with the plant kingdom is an act of interdependence, and the power of bringing both a scientific and woo lens to healing.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/250

#249: Turkey Day is upon us once again, which means food, weight, and diet talk is about to become rife. This time of year can be particularly challenging for those of us with emotional outsourcing ways of thinking. That’s why this week, I’m excited for you to hear a conversation from a couple of years ago that I recorded with my dear friend, Dana Monsees.    Dana is a Dietitian-Nutritionist and Body Image Coach specializing in neutral nutrition for chronic health conditions. Hear Dana’s top tips for having difficult conversations around food, weight, and diet, why thought work and boundary-setting are vital during this time of year, and how giving yourself permission to experience joy and pleasure is the path to healing.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/249

#248: In the first two episodes of our Functional Freeze series, we’ve looked at the how and why of this debilitating nervous system state, as well as real-life experiences that can lead to it. Now, it’s time to dig into the remedies.   Join me on this episode to hear what you can do to reclaim your one and only precious life from functional freeze. I’m showing you where to start in working with your body, the power of mindfulness when it comes to understanding somatic experiencing, and the potential outcomes of re-establishing a connection with yourself.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/248

#247: Last week, we began a vital conversation about the mixed nervous system state of functional freeze: what it looks like in practice and how commonly it shows up for those of us prone to emotional outsourcing. This week in part two, we're asking the question: how did it get this way?   You'll hear multiple real-life examples from my own life and coaching work of experiences that lead to functional freeze. It's so easy to beat yourself up when you realize you're in the pattern, but functional freeze is a brilliant survival skill you learned in childhood. Hearing other people's experiences might help you see that there's nothing wrong with you, and help you understand how to change the pattern.    Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/247

#246: This week, we’re taking a deep dive into a topic I can’t believe I haven’t already discussed on the show – the nervous system state of functional freeze. It’s part and parcel of the emotional outsourcing experience. So what does it mean and why do we find ourselves in it?   Join me today to discover what the nervous system state of functional freeze entails, and why those of us with emotional outsourcing tendencies find ourselves chronically stuck in it. You’ll also hear how it can manifest both physically and psychologically, and make sure to tune back in next week to hear the remedies for getting to the other side of somatic self-disconnection.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/246

#245: This week, I’m re-sharing one of my favorite episodes from the podcast archive all about how regret is self-abandonment. The regret cycle is one we lean on and keep choosing for understandable reasons, but it’s time to understand why and how we can drop it because the truth is regret is not the solution to the future you want. Hear why living in regret is a form of self-abandonment, and how it doesn’t save us from repeating old patterns. I’m highlighting why we think regret is protective, how regret prevents from you seeing the power you have in your own life, and of course, the remedies for healing and dropping regret so you can get to the other side.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/245

#244: This week, we are reviewing one of my absolute favorite topics to geek out on: polyvagal theory. Polyvagal theory is an incredibly helpful way to better understand our lived experiences and nervous systems, which is why it’s one of the main tenets of all the work I do across my various programs.   I’m sharing how polyvagal theory is an important vessel for getting to know ourselves better, why learning to regulate our nervous system matters, and how to start seeing where you can drop guilt, blame, and shame around your patterns.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/244

#243: Do you struggle to set boundaries with the people in your life? Are you prone to prioritizing everyone else’s well-being first, often not even realizing you have needs of your own? Are you in constant hyperdrive mode, striving to do more and more, only to eventually burn yourself out?   Join me today to learn where overfunctioning comes from and how it manifests in our lives. I’m showing you how it not only takes a toll on our relationships, but our physical, mental, and emotional health too, and my top tips for beginning to address your overfunctioning habit to lead a healthier, happier life.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/243

#242: Last week, we talked all about feeling our feelings somatically and the myriad of reasons doing so can help us live richer, more fulfilling lives with more connection to ourselves and our loved ones. You heard in detail why we don’t feel our feelings, and in part two today, we’re exploring the how-to of feeling your feelings somatically.   Tune in this week to discover how to begin feeling your feelings somatically. I’m showing you why practicing this creates capacity in your nervous system to feel the emotions you most want, what you’ll find if you allow and stay with difficult emotions, how to kitten-step your way to feeling your feels, and my top tips for supporting yourself through this process.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/242

#241: “Feeling your feelings” is a term you may have seen all over social media, and it can be an incredibly supportive and loving thing to do. However, as we do here on Feminist Wellness, we also need to proceed with caution and care when it comes to addressing the emotions that live within us.   Join me this week to discover why you may not habitually feel your feelings, the common fears that may arise about doing so, and how to gain a different way of relating to your emotions. I’m also diving into why we want to feel our feelings somatically, and what can improve in our lives when we do.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/241

#240: Offering unnecessarily exhaustive explanations is a very smart coping mechanism we develop, usually in childhood. However, while overexplaining can provide short-term relief, it also reinforces the very emotional outsourcing cycles we’re trying to escape.    Join me today to discover the common origin stories that lead to the habit of overexplaining, how it affects our nervous system, and what we can do to start breaking free from this cycle. I’m sharing some of the science behind why we feel the need to overexplain, the power of nurturing self-compassion in this work, and my favorite ways for practicing more concise, direct communication.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/240

#239: I’m speaking to coach, three-time best-selling author, and all-around badass Andrea Owen. Andrea helps smart, high-achieving women let go of five default behaviors that leave them feeling terrible so they can engage in better coping mechanisms around shame. She’s here to introduce us to the shame work she writes about in her book, How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t.   Join us as Andrea and I explore the wound of shame and how our emotional outsourcing behaviors act as an armor to help us avoid shame. She’s walking us through the different frameworks she uses to guide her clients through shame, and why approaching yourself with compassion and understanding is key to healing your wounds.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/239

#238: We tend to look for other people to be the main attraction in our lives, to save us, and to be our cake. Tune in to learn the importance of embodying your own cakefulness, and how waiting for someone else to be your cake might be the root cause of your relational pain. You’ll hear why you are the main dessert, how to let everyone else be a delightful addition, and why your whole life can change in every possible way when you step into being the cake.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/238

#237: With transitions come grief, and whether it relates to death or non-death losses, it’s a topic we don’t talk about enough.   Tune in today to hear three brilliant experts on grief, Briana Simmons, Charlene Lam, and Krista St-Germain, share their expertise on why we suck at grief, and how we can begin grieving in a nervous-system-based and somatically-embodied way. You’ll hear what we need to increase our capacity to grieve, why this process will be unique to each and every person, and how we can support ourselves through grief spirals.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/237

#236: Whether you resonate with the habit of offering unsolicited advice or you’ve been on the receiving end of it, it can have significant implications on our relationships and be a wicked bummer for everyone involved.    Join me this week as I unravel the threads of unsolicited advice in the name of nurturing healthier, more authentic, and loving connections. You’ll hear why it can cause huge ruptures in our relationships, why it’s the antithesis of interdependent living, and remedies, from the lens of both giving and receiving unsolicited advice.    Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/236

#235: Were you raised by emotionally immature parents? Do you have a feeling you might be an emotionally immature parent?   This week, learn how to show up as the intentional and authentic person you want to be, despite your parenting experience. You’ll hear why emotionally immature parents get to be that way, and my process for bringing in compassionate healing, whether you were raised by emotionally immature parents or want to address your own emotional immaturity as you parent your kiddos.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/235

#234: The world we live in makes it pretty challenging for us to feel truly well. When we constantly receive messages about how we’re broken, wrong, or need to change, and all of that is layered with the anxiety of needing to get it all perfect, what we can do to feel better?   This week, I’m speaking to holistic psychiatrist and author Ellen Vora MD. She's showing us why true anxiety can be a great teacher, and how to take kitten steps towards feeling better. You’ll hear why a gentle, grace-giving approach is vital, her tips for witnessing your needs without shame or drama, and the power of leaning into and surrendering to curiosity around your anxiety.    Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/234

#233: I'm getting my astrocartography chart read by psychic medium, astrologer, and intuitive energy healer, Steffi, a.k.a The Spirit Sis. Astrocartography is an ancient medium that Steffi uses in her practice to help, inform, and support her clients. She uncovers places on the globe where you should travel to, live near, find inspiration from, as well as places to avoid altogether.   Steffi is walking us through the complex field of study that is astrocartography and how using this tool can be incredibly life-changing, because as you’ll hear, this information does not lie!    Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/233

#232: I'm joined by the amazing Trudi Lebrón this week. She’s an author, coach, and consultant for equity-centered businesses, and she’s here to highlight the importance of building a critical equity lens when moving from a codependent existence into interdependence.   We discuss how we learn our emotional outsourcing tendencies, and why we need diversity, equity, and inclusion in all helping industries. Trudi is sharing her thoughts on feeling othered, remedies for when your identity and worth are externalized, and her top tips for participating in conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.    Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/232

#231: Discover how to remedy the vicious cycle of frustration and resentment around your unmet needs. I’m sharing some of the indirect ways we attempt to get our needs met, why these strategies don’t serve us or those we love, and six ways we can start voicing our needs in loving ways while honoring the other person’s reply.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://victoriaalbina.com/231