Forgive Yourself

What if the real healing begins the moment we stop fighting our bodies?In this compassionate conversation, I sit down with Tami Stackelhouse—health coach, founder of the International Fibromyalgia Coaching Institute, and host of the Fibromyalgia Podcast—to talk about self-forgiveness in the face of chronic illness. Tami shares her personal journey with lifelong health challenges and fibromyalgia, and we explore what it really means to move from war to partnership with your body. We talk about perfectionism, lost capacity, relationship shame, asking for help, and how learning who you truly are, instead of who you think you “should” be, can become the foundation for healing.If you’ve ever felt betrayed by your body, whispered “Why can’t you just work right?,” or carried shame about not being the mom, partner, friend, or professional you once were, this episode is for you.What You’ll LearnWhy self-forgiveness is essential in the chronic illness journeyWhere shame shows up most powerfully (especially for mothers and caregivers)How perfectionism and comparison silently fuel sufferingThe difference between trying to change your thoughts vs. changing your actionsTake Tami’s free Fibromyalgia Wellness Style℠ Quiz: https://fibroquiz.com/ Follow Tami on Facebook: https://facebook.com/FibroCoachFollow Tami on Instagram: https://instagram.com/FibroCoachSubscribe to Tami on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@fibromyalgiawellnessConnect with Tami on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tamistackelhouseResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

“I thought I’d be further along by now.”That’s a sentence I hear all the time, and if I’m honest, it’s one I’ve said to myself, too.In this episode, I’m talking about the quiet ache so many women carry: the feeling of being behind in life. Behind in our careers. Behind in healing. Behind in love, confidence, health, or fulfillment. On the outside, we may look capable and responsible—often the ones everyone else relies on. But inside, there’s a voice whispering I should have figured this out by now.I want to gently explore where that voice comes from. How the feeling of being behind is often grief in disguise. Grief for the life we imagined. Grief for choices we wish we’d made differently. Grief for years spent surviving instead of thriving. And I talk about how self-forgiveness isn’t about excusing or pretending, it’s about softening our relationship with the past and integrating it with compassion.What You’ll LearnWhy the feeling of being “behind” is often rooted in invisible timelinesHow grief can sit underneath regret and self-judgmentThe hidden cost of being “the strong one” for decadesWhy midlife can actually be a season of readiness and self-trustGentle reframes to help you soften shame and reconnect with yourselfWhy safety and support matter when doing deeper forgiveness work💜 Download your companion worksheets for this episode here.Resources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

You don’t have to fix yourself first to deserve your own kindness.So many high-achieving women I work with don’t hate themselves…but they don’t really like themselves, either. They tolerate themselves. They manage themselves. They critique themselves. And often, they live in a quiet, ongoing relationship with judgment.Self-judgment doesn’t always scream. Sometimes it sounds reasonable. Motivating even. It can sound like: “Why am I like this?” “I should be further along by now.” “I know better than this.”But underneath that voice is often a tired, overwhelmed part of us that simply wants understanding.In this episode, I share where that inner critic comes from, how it once tried to protect us, and why being harder on ourselves rarely creates real change.What You’ll LearnWhy self-judgment is often something we learned, not something we choseHow your inner critic may have originally developed as a survival strategyWhy constant self-correction keeps your nervous system from ever fully restingThe subtle ways self-judgment disguises itself as “motivation”What loving yourself actually looks like in everyday lifeHow to begin meeting yourself with gentleness instead of punishment💜 Download your companion worksheets for this episode here.Resources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

When we think about forgiveness, we usually think about other people. But some of the deepest resentment we carry is self-directed, and it often hides as guilt, self-criticism, exhaustion, regret, or a constant feeling that something just isn’t quite right.In this episode, I walk through the 10 most common things we struggle to forgive ourselves for, especially as women in midlife: how we showed up (or didn’t), staying too long or leaving too soon, health and caregiving decisions, repeating old patterns, choosing others over ourselves, and grieving the life we thought we’d have by now.This isn’t about “doing forgiveness right,” rushing to closure, or forcing compassion before you’re ready. It’s about telling the truth kindly, creating safety in your nervous system, and understanding that forgiveness comes after witnessing—not before.What You’ll LearnWhy self-forgiveness is often harder than forgiving others What forgiveness is and isn’t, and why timing matters more than effortHow the nervous system holds onto unresolved experiencesWhy repeating patterns doesn’t mean you’ve failed or regressedHow survival, loyalty, and responsibility shape our past choicesWhy grief and gratitude can coexistResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

When we think about forgiveness, we usually think about other people. But some of the deepest resentment we carry is self-directed, and it often hides as guilt, self-criticism, exhaustion, regret, or a constant feeling that something just isn’t quite right.In this episode, I walk through the 10 most common things we struggle to forgive ourselves for, especially as women in midlife: how we showed up (or didn’t), staying too long or leaving too soon, health and caregiving decisions, repeating old patterns, choosing others over ourselves, and grieving the life we thought we’d have by now.This isn’t about “doing forgiveness right,” rushing to closure, or forcing compassion before you’re ready. It’s about telling the truth kindly, creating safety in your nervous system, and understanding that forgiveness comes after witnessing—not before.What You’ll LearnWhy self-forgiveness is often harder than forgiving others What forgiveness is and isn’t, and why timing matters more than effortHow the nervous system holds onto unresolved experiencesWhy repeating patterns doesn’t mean you’ve failed or regressedHow survival, loyalty, and responsibility shape our past choicesWhy grief and gratitude can coexistResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

In a world that feels increasingly uncertain, overwhelming, and emotionally charged, how do we stay rooted without bypassing what’s real?In this episode, I explore what it truly means to hold two truths at the same time: acknowledging fear, grief, and instability while also choosing presence, agency, and inner steadiness. Drawing from my personal caregiving journey, recent moments of self-doubt, and a powerful realization sparked by therapy, I reflect on how easily our nervous systems get hijacked and how quickly my inner critic can drown out my wise voice.This conversation is an invitation to come home to yourself. I share the simple, grounding practices I’ve returned to in order to rebuild a foundation that doesn’t collapse when fear shows up—one breath, one choice, one moment at a time.What You’ll LearnHow an activated nervous system fuels comparison, perfectionism, and inner criticismWhy “fantasy thinking” can keep you stuck and disconnected from realityHow to recognize and disengage from the inner critic that assaults your wise voicePractical, non-flashy tools to calm the nervous system (breath, movement, sensory awareness)How journaling, gratitude, and naming what you can control restore a sense of agencyWhy coming home to yourself is an act of peace, not avoidanceResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

Sometimes healing doesn’t come from pushing harder, but from allowing ourselves to receive. In this episode, I share my experience at Miraval Resort in Arizona and the unexpected insights that emerged after a season of caregiving, grief, betrayal, and deep self-awareness. Through equine therapy and the art of Kintsugi, I reflect on perception, self-trust, and what it means to love ourselves deeply without needing external validation. Along the way, I offer gentle practices to help you integrate your own awareness and “aha” moments.What You’ll LearnWhy we often mistake self-protection for self-trustHow perception can deepen—or ease—our sufferingWhat horses revealed about being in your head vs. your bodyWhy not everything broken is meant to be fixedHow letting others help doesn’t make you weak, it makes you humanSimple ways to practice receiving, rest, and self-compassionResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

Two years ago, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life: moving my husband into memory care. Last year, I shared the raw shock, grief, and guilt of that first year. This episode is about what the second year has taught me.I thought year two would feel easier. More settled. Instead, it brought new crises, a nervous system stuck on high alert, and an unexpected moment that finally cracked my grief wide open. What followed was a deeper reckoning with loss, with old patterns of over-responsibility, and with the belief that love must be earned through self-sacrifice.This is a reflection on how grief changes over time, how the body decides when it’s safe to feel, and what it looks like to slowly let go without abandoning love, and without abandoning myself..In this episode, you’ll hear about:How grief can shift—and intensify—in the second yearWhy my body stayed in survival mode longer than I expectedHow caregiving can awaken old “good girl” and people-pleasing patternsWhat helped me begin letting go without guiltHow I’m learning to care for myself while still loving deeplyHere are the episodes that I reference in the podcast: Episode 64: A Difference a Year Makes – https://brendareisscoaching.com/2025/01/14/a-difference-a-year-makes/Episode 94: The Good Girl Syndrome – How People-Pleasing Sneaks Into Adulthood (and How We Break Free) – https://brendareisscoaching.com/2025/12/21/the-good-girl-syndrome-how-people-pleasing-sneaks-into-adulthood-and-how-we-break-free/ Resources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

What happens when we stop outsourcing our knowledge and begin listening to the wisdom that’s been living inside us all along?Brenda is joined by somatic and expressive arts therapist Cathy Williams to explore what it truly means to come home to your body after trauma, burnout, and self-abandonment. Cathy shares her personal healing journey, from living in her head and overriding her intuition, to reconnecting with her body as a source of safety, guidance, and truth.Together, they unpack how psychological abuse, people-pleasing, and over-intellectualizing can disconnect us from ourselves and how somatic awareness, creative expression, and gentle self-forgiveness can guide us back.This episode is an invitation to soften, slow down, and remember: your body has always been trying to protect you.In this episode, you’ll hear about:How intuition speaks through the bodyWhy forgiveness often starts with self-trustThe role of somatic and creative healing in trauma recoveryHow to rebuild a loving relationship with your inner guidanceCathy's Body Wisdom Oracle cards are currently in a crowdfunding campaign till the end of January 2026! If you'd like to participate, click here:https://project.liftwomen.com/p/692f852562daa122b31ea41bConnect with yourself through Cathy’s free resources: https://www.intuitiveself.com.au/category/all-productsFollow Cathy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intuitiveself__Connect with Cathy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathywilliams-intuitiveself/Follow Cathy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IntuitiveSelfCathyW Subscribe to Cathy on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Intuitive_SelfResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

In this deeply vulnerable episode, Brenda opens up about a powerful and unexpected moment in her caregiving journey with her husband, who lives in memory care due to dementia. What began as shock and heartbreak became a profound awakening, revealing a pattern so many high-achieving, caring women carry quietly into adulthood: the Good Girl Syndrome.Brenda explores how early conditioning to be “good” evolves into people-pleasing, over-functioning, emotional suppression, resentment, burnout, and the slow abandonment of our own needs. Through raw storytelling and compassionate reflection, she shares how this pattern showed up for her in real time and how it cracked her open to a deeper layer of grief, truth, and healing. This episode is an invitation to gently notice where you may be carrying too much, silencing yourself, or equating your worth with how much you do for others and to begin loosening those patterns with honesty, self-compassion, and courage.Ready to break free from the good girl pattern? This worksheet is for you: https://therecreationcoach.aweb.page/breaking-free-good-girl-patternWhat You’ll LearnWhat the Good Girl Syndrome really is and how it quietly follows us into adulthoodHow people-pleasing and over-functioning disconnect us from our emotions and needsWhy suppressed grief and resentment often show up through the bodyHow to move through guilt, shame, and emotional overwhelm with compassionPractical, grounding steps to begin reclaiming your voice, honoring your limits, and caring for yourself in a more sustainable wayResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

Edit B. Kiss, a holistic mentor, success habit coach, and humanitarian award-winning author is joining me to share her story of transformation, which is as grounded as it is spiritual. After 15 years as a petroleum engineer, Edit followed a deep inner calling that led her from spreadsheets to source energy, from panic attacks to peace. Together, we talk about trauma, triggers, forgiveness, and why mindfulness is not the first step in healing. Edit shares how she learned to recognize synchronicities, how the body reveals unresolved emotional patterns, and why true change requires tending to the mind, body, and soul. We also explore her 3P and 5-Step methods for closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be. If you're navigating the unknown or feeling pulled toward something new, this conversation is a powerful reminder that healing is possible—and closer than you think.What You’ll LearnHow Edit moved from a highly logical engineering career into intuitive, heart-centered healingWhy triggers point directly to unresolved trauma and how to use them for growthWhy mindfulness alone isn’t enough without healing the deeper emotional rootsHow the body, mind, and soul work together in releasing anxiety and panicEdit’s 3P Method for reaching your goalsHow forgiveness frees you without requiring you to trust someone againGet Edit’s latest book, The Gap Filler Success: Simple Steps to Reach Your Goals: https://www.amazon.com/-/he/Gap-Filler-Success-Simple-Steps/dp/B0FVG3RVW3Learn more about Edit on her website: https://editbkiss.com/Follow Edit on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/editbkissConnect with Edit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/editbkiss/ Follow Edit on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bkisseditCheck out Edit’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MagicalKarmaPriestessResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

I sat down with author and executive coach Laing Rikkers to explore how quiet rituals, creativity, and the natural world can become anchors during our deepest seasons of loss. When Laing’s younger sister died suddenly just months before the world shut down, she found herself searching for a way through overwhelming grief. What began as simple morning walks and unfiltered “morning pages” soon unfolded into Morning Leaves, her beautiful collection of plant-inspired poems and reflections.Laing shares how slowing down helped her reconnect with herself, how creativity became a lifeline, and how she gently released the guilt she carried around her sister’s passing. She also offers the powerful checklist she uses to return to balance when life feels heavy: sleep, eat, steep, walk it, talk it, write it, and pay it forward.What You’ll LearnHow simple daily rituals can create space for healingWhy connecting with nature helps regulate the nervous system and ease emotional overwhelmHow creativity (even if you’ve never seen yourself as “creative”) can transform grief into meaningHow to recognize, release, and forgive the complex guilt that often comes with sudden lossHow finding purpose after loss can keep our loved ones present in our daily livesGet the 2nd Edition of Laing's book Morning Leaves: Cultivating a Life of Beauty, Meaning, and Joy: https://bookshop.org/p/books/morning-leaves-meditations-on-beauty-and-joy-laing-f-rikkers/f8c694a6cc939b5a?ean=9781636284729&next=t&next=t&affiliate=177Connect with Laing on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laing-rikkersFollow Laing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morning_leaves_and_poetry/Resources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

Ever wonder how the roles you played growing up impact your life and relationships today? In this episode, I break down the six most common family dynamics and the archetypal roles we fall into. I share how self-awareness is the game changer that lets you set healthy boundaries and choose who you want to be moving forward. Remember, your family story doesn’t have to define your future. You have the power to give yourself permission to change, grow, and find more peace. Resources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

In this episode, I talk with the luminous Harper A. Bailey, whose debut memoir It Was Her poured straight into my heart. We talk about the dream that sparked her writing, the spiritual co-creation behind her pen name, and the moment she realized her story wasn’t just hers, it was meant to unlock stories in others. Harper shares how grief became both her wilderness and her teacher, and how processing isn’t about doing, but about learning to be with ourselves again. This conversation is all about reclaiming the wholeness we’ve always carried but sometimes forget. If you’ve ever felt stuck between the pain of the past and the hope of what could be, this episode is a reminder that you can return home to yourself at any time.What You’ll LearnHow grief can become a doorway back to yourself, not a destination you’re meant to stay inWhy Harper chose a pen name and how it unlocked a deeper spiritual and creative voiceThe difference between doing the work and actually processing your emotionsWhat it looks like to forgive the younger version of yourself and reclaim your wholenessDownload the first chapter of It Was Her: https://www.harperabailey.com/ Get the full book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMH494DBFollow Harper on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harper_abaileyResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

If you’re the one who holds it all together—for your family, your friends, your business—but quietly struggles to ask for help yourself, this episode is for you. I know that story well. For years, I prided myself on being the strong one, the fixer, the problem solver. Until my body and spirit finally broke down.In this conversation, I’m exploring why asking for help feels unsafe for so many high-achieving women, and how that belief was formed long before adulthood. I talk about how childhood conditioning creates the “I should be able to handle it” mindset, and what happens in our nervous system when we even think about reaching out. Most importantly, I’ll share what it looks like to rewrite that story and see asking for help not as weakness, but as wisdom.You are worthy of support. You are allowed to have needs. And when you let yourself be held, you don’t lose your strength—you reclaim your wholeness.What You’ll LearnThe childhood roots of our resistance to asking for helpHow “being the strong one” can lead to isolation and burnoutWhy your nervous system may interpret support as unsafeThe hidden cost of over-functioning and self-relianceHow to reframe asking for help as an act of intimacy and self-trustA reflective journaling prompt to begin softening this old beliefResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

I’ve always believed that forgiveness is the bridge between who we’ve been and who we’re becoming, and today’s conversation is proof of that. I’m joined by Riana Malia, a board-certified neurosomatic practitioner and creator of the Clear to Create method, who helps high-achieving women break free from painful relationship patterns and finally claim the love that matches the life they’ve built.Riana shares her powerful story of betrayal, loss, and rebuilding from the ground up, and how learning to release stored trauma at the cellular level opened the door to deep peace, purpose, and extraordinary love. We talk about why self-forgiveness is often the hardest kind, how to stop repeating old stories, and why true healing begins when you make the invisible visible.If you’ve ever carried shame, guilt, or old pain that keeps you stuck, this episode will remind you: you don’t have to relive the past to release it, you just have to be willing to clear it.What You’ll LearnWhy we must clear before we can create, and how that principle changes everythingThe three layers of forgiveness: others, the ones who didn’t protect us, and ourselvesHow trauma and limiting beliefs become stored in the bodyThe five core emotions to release for lasting healing (anger, sadness, fear, guilt, shame)How Riana’s “Clear to Create” and “Quantum Time Release” methods help you rewrite your story without reliving itThe first step toward self-forgiveness and reclaiming your worthDiscover what’s standing between you and extraordinary love with Riana’s free 40-question diagnostic assessment: https://quiz.rianamalia.com/ Connect with Riana on…TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rianamalia121 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RianaMaliaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rianamalia/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@rianamaliaWebsite: https://rianamalia.comBrilliance Brunch Event Page: https://thebrilliancebrunch.rianamalia.comPodcast Page: https://podcast.rianamalia.comResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

Sometimes, it takes everything falling apart to discover what’s been broken all along. In this episode, I talk with Bryan Power, who went from a “pretty good” marriage to complete collapse before finding the tools that helped him rebuild his relationship stronger than ever.We talk about what really causes relationships to unravel, how childhood wounds and attachment styles shape the way we love, and why forgiveness—for ourselves and each other—is often the key to true healing. Bryan shares how learning Integrated Attachment Theory transformed his marriage, and how facing his own patterns helped him find peace, clarity, and connection again.If you’ve ever hit rock bottom in love or wondered if something broken can truly be made whole, this story will remind you: sometimes the breakdown is the breakthrough.What You’ll Learn:How childhood trauma silently shapes your attachment styleWhy emotional “no contact” can be a powerful tool for healingThe six core elements of Integrated Attachment TheoryWhat true forgiveness looks like after deep hurtHow rock bottom moments can become your greatest turning pointsTake Bryan’s free attachment style quiz: https://www.myrelationshipfail.com/Connect with Bryan on:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanwpower/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myrelationshipfail/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@myrelationshipfailResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

You’re confident, capable, and in control…until it comes to love.
At work, you lead with authority. At home, you walk on eggshells. You know how to speak up in the boardroom, but in relationships, your voice gets quieter. In this episode, I’m opening up about how high-achieving women like us lose our voice in love—and how we can reclaim it without losing our softness. I’ll share the five subtle signs that you’ve started to silence yourself, the deeper reasons why vulnerability feels unsafe, and the small daily practices that helped me reconnect to my truth.You’ll hear about the power of micro-boundaries, journaling, and inner-child work, and why learning to speak up with compassion is one of the most radical acts of self-forgiveness we can make.Resources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

What happens when the life you built for decades disappears in a single moment? When you go to bed a wife and wake up a stranger to your own story?In this episode, I sit down with divorce recovery coach Beth Carroll, who knows that pain all too well. After her 25-year marriage ended without warning, Beth faced the shock, grief, and loss of identity that so many women silently carry. But through subconscious reprogramming and somatic healing, she learned that transformation doesn’t have to take years—it can begin in weeks. Together, we explore what it means to release shame, let go of self-blame, and stop replaying the past so you can finally start asking, ‘What’s next for me?’Follow Beth on Instagram and Threads: @bethcarrollcoachingGet 65% off of Beth's Belief Breakthrough Audit with code FORGIVE: bethcarrollcoaching.store/shop/beliefbreakthroughauditResources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn

Today, I’m sharing something deeply personal as well as common, especially for those of us who pride ourselves on being strong, capable, and independent. We’re exploring the hidden cost of hyper independence, that survival strategy that helps us feel safe but often leaves us lonely, exhausted, and disconnected from others.I’ll walk you through how healthy independence can tip over into hyper independence, driven by childhood wounds, betrayals, or cultural conditioning. Together, we'll look at how keeping people at arm’s length may protect us from disappointment but also shuts out intimacy and support. I’ll offer you reflective questions and simple, practical steps to help soften your emotional armor, receive support, and communicate your needs so you can keep your strength and independence while welcoming deeper connection into your life.If you recognize these patterns in yourself or someone you love, I invite you to join me for this honest conversation. Let’s take a breath, grab a cup of tea or coffee, and commit to opening our hearts just a little bit more because you don’t have to carry it all alone, and true freedom lives in connection.Resources:Your FREE Forgive Yourself resources: https://brendareisscoaching.com/podcast-resource-optin/Are you struggling with a situation or a person in your life? Wondering if you are ready to work on forgiving yourself? Take our quiz to find out your emotional IQ and how this impacts your ability to forgive: https://archetype.brendareisscoaching.com/sf/357cdc60  Brenda’s Website/LinksWebsiteFacebookInstagramLinkedIn