How to Trust Yourself: Overcome Imposter Syndrome, Feel Confident, and Let Yourself Be Seen

Episode Description / Show Notes:Ever feel like your story is messy, scattered, or unclear—and that’s holding you back from stepping fully into your purpose? In this episode, I share a metaphor from my 10 years working in reality TV—soft scripting—and how it taught me to find the through threads in the chaos.I’ll break down how this concept applies to your life and work:How to sift through the raw material of your experiences to discover your unique voice.Why trying to force your story or follow someone else’s blueprint backfires.How to nurture your emerging story so it grows naturally into its fullest expression.Whether you’re navigating a career pivot, stepping into visibility as a sensitive creative, or exploring a new identity, soft scripting is a practical, nervous-system-friendly approach to clarifying your purpose and showing up authentically.I also share a new opportunity to practice this in community: my Seen & Safe group membership, a supportive space for sensitive creatives, coaches, and entrepreneurs to grow in visibility without burning out.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:The reality TV concept of soft scripting and why it’s a powerful metaphor for life and work.How to find the through threads in your experiences and start shaping your story.A gentle, collaborative approach to visibility that respects your nervous system.Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode:Join Seen & Safe: AnnaHoltzman.com/seenandsafeEmail me with your thoughts or reflections: anna@annaholtzman.comWho This Episode is For:Sensitive creatives, coaches, healers, and entrepreneurs who want to show up authentically, discover their voice, and step into purpose without burning out.Follow & Connect:Instagram: @annaholtzman

Welcome to the 20th episode of From Chronic Pain to Passion. This is the last episode in season 1 and after this I’m going to take a 3 week hiatus, because rest is important! But don’t worry, I’ll be back in September with more interviews that I’m excited to share with you, including conversations with chronic pain experts Dr. John Stracks and Dr. Lilia Graue as well as many more.   In today’s episode, I’m going to share with you a recording of a Facebook live in which I had the honor of chatting with chronic pain expert Georgie Oldfield, and this time I was the one being interviewed.   Georgie is a physiotherapist practicing in the UK and she’s the founder of an organization called SIRPA, which stands for Stress Illness Recovery Practitioners’ Association. SIRPA is a really important hub of information, education and patient and practitioner resources in the field of mind-body medicine. You can find those resources on their website at sirpa.org and on Instagram @sirpa_uk In the conversation you’re about to hear, Georgie interviewed me about my experience of recovering from chronic migraine and I talked about some more recent developments in that journey, which continues to unfold. You can find me at: Instagram: ⁠@anna_holtzman⁠ Website: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Thank you so much for joining me on this chronic pain to passion journey. One of the things I really like doing on this podcast is having conversations with people who don’t necessarily identify as someone who has experienced or worked with chronic pain, but they do have a story of transformation to tell that carries a lot of the same themes that show up in the chronic pain recovery journey.   One of those themes is questioning our belief systems. If you grew up in a society that is influenced by the western medical model, as I did, then you probably learned to view physical pain as totally separate from emotional pain. And it can be a real mind-bender and even an identity shift as we embark on the path of mind-body healing and start to see our pain journey through a very different lens. Along the way, a lot of us find that questioning the belief system that we’ve held for most of our life is complicated and it can be quite challenging.   Today, I got to speak with someone who knows a lot about questioning belief systems. And she comes at it from a totally different starting point than chronic pain. My guest, Joy Vetterlein is a spiritual coach and writer who is engaged in reimagining life after faith. As a pastor’s kid, a good Christian girl, a Bible college grad and a former worship pastor, she now helps post-evangelicals to find freedom from oppressive religious programming and to discover their own unique spiritual path. Joy lives in Orange County, California, with her husband and two children. I wanted to speak with Joy because I find that through having interdisciplinary conversations about topics like questioning our belief systems, we can zoom out and widen our understanding of a topic beyond what is accessible to us through just one type of lens. And as Joy shares her story of questioning beliefs with us, I'll relate it back to the symptom recovery journey for you! You can find Joy at: IG: ⁠@joyvetterlein website: www.joyvetterlein.com And you can find me at: Instagram: ⁠@anna_holtzman⁠ Website: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com

In today’s episode, I got to chat with someone whose work I’ve admired and been influenced by since my very first training in mind-body medicine. That person is chronic pain expert Christie Uipi, and I knew it would be a pleasure speaking with her, but our conversation surpassed even my expectations, it was such a delight.   Christie is a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety, and depression and she’s the founder of a clinic called The Better Mind Center.  Christie has been a key collaborator on the development and research of the Pain Reprocessing Therapy treatment modality.  She lectures nationally on psychotherapeutic interventions to treat chronic pain and she is committed to cross-disciplinary collaboration between mental health and physical medicine. Christie is also a recovered chronic pain patient herself. And she says that the healing process was so profoundly transformational for the quality of her life that she has dedicated her career to supporting others through their recoveries. There’s a lot more to Christie’s work in this field that we’ll get into during the interview, and something that I so appreciate about her is that she’s an influential voice in this field — and we often look to influential voices to tell us the absolute truth about their topic of expertise. But what Christie shares is that staying curious and open is not just essential to healing, it’s an essential part of being a practitioner who supports others in healing as well. You can find Christie at: IG: ⁠@better.with.christie website: bettermindcenter.com And you can find me at: Instagram: ⁠@anna_holtzman⁠ Website: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Thank you for joining me today to listen to this episode of From Chronic Pain to Passion. It’s hard to believe it’s already been 4 months since I first launched the podcast. And I wanna ask if you’d be up for helping me spread the word so that more listeners can find the podcast. So, I thought I would do a little fun giveaway. Last month I held a workshop called Soothe Your Symptoms and Unlock Your Creativity. If you would like a free recording of that workshop, I invite you to do any one of these three things: You can post about the podcast on Instagram and tag me. You can post about it on any other medium, and screenshot the post and email it to me. Or you can simply share the podcast with a friend and email to tell me about it. My email is anna@annaholtzman.com And in return, I will send you a recording of the Soothe Your Symptoms, Unlock Your Creativity workshop — and I’ll write you a little note of appreciation. So thank you in advance!   •••   And now for today’s episode! I so enjoyed this conversation with Renee Snijder. Renee is a certified ADHD coach who works from the perspective that nobody is broken; that ADHD is a set of symptoms, not a disorder; and that by working on nervous system regulation and self-compassion through a mind-body approach, it is possible to reduce the intensity of these symptoms while connecting with your authentic self.   You might wonder why we’re talking about ADHD on a podcast that’s called from Chronic Pain to Passion. And the reason I reached out to Renee is that I saw her talking about her approach on Instagram, and I thought, wow, we are talking about many of the same things. We’re talking about the effects of stress on the nervous system. We’re using our own lived experience to inform the way we support our clients. And I just love the clear and compassionate way Renee talks about her work! On top of all that, I find that a lot of the folks who come to work with me on chronic pain recovery also report that they experience ADHD symptoms. So, I’m really glad that I get to share our conversation with you. You can find Renne at: IG (in English): ⁠@rebirth_adhd⁠ website (in Dutch): www.stormvogelcoaching.nl And you can find me at: Instagram: ⁠@anna_holtzman⁠ Website: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Before we start today’s episode, I wanna ask a quick favor! If you’ve been listening to the podcast and finding it helpful, would you be willing to hit pause for a moment and give the podcast a quick rating and review on whatever podcast platform you’re listening on? It would mean so much to me, because your ratings and reviews help other people who are struggling with chronic symptoms to find the podcast. So, thank you in advance for the rating and review! And now for today’s episode! I was delighted to have a chat with Gauri Yardi, someone I’ve been following through social media for a while now. Gauri is a writer and multi-passionate creative, a naturopath and a creative wellbeing coach. Her mission is to help tired and burned out creatives regain the energy they need for their creative dreams using holistic nervous system care.⁠ ⁠ Gauri's approach to burnout involves a model she calls "the four pillars of nervous system care" and it's a beautiful complement to the kinds of tools that I teach for chronic pain recovery — after all, as Gauri and I discussed during the interview, chronic pain and creative burnout are both symptoms of nervous system stress!⁠ Gauri's way of describing her work is so clear, simple and grounding that you might just consider listening to this interview as a part of your nervous system care. You can find Gauri at: Website: ⁠www.gauriyardi.com Instagram: @gauri.yardi And you can find me at: Instagram: ⁠@anna_holtzman⁠ Website: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Before we start today’s episode, I wanna ask a quick favor! If you’ve been listening to the podcast and finding it helpful, would you be willing to hit pause for a moment and give the podcast a quick rating and review on whatever podcast platform you’re listening on? It would mean so much to me, because your ratings and reviews help other people who are struggling with chronic symptoms to find the podcast. So, thank you in advance for the rating and review! And now, I’m excited to share today’s episode with you! I sat down to have a chat with someone I admire very much, Dr. Alicia Batson. Dr. Batson is a double-boarded physician with training in both internal medicine and psychiatry. She has worked in varied medical settings including adult primary care, inpatient psychiatry, outpatient community mental health care and currently, as a staff psychiatrist with Talkiatry, an online behavioral health company. After her medical training, Dr. Batson suffered through 10 years of debilitating chronic pain with over 20 different symptoms including repetitive strain injury, jaw pain, hyperacusis, neck, back and knee pain, anxiety and panic attacks.   She was able to fully recover after receiving mind-body therapy which conceptualized her symptoms as being caused by internal emotional stress and chronic activation of fear-based neural circuits. Since recovering, she is now treating patients with chronic pain and other neural circuit conditions.   She is the Chief Psychiatry Officer and Co-founder of OvidDx, an app-based educational platform teaching health care providers how to diagnosis and treat these conditions and developing office and home-based tools to facilitate care delivery for this patient population. Dr. Batson also serves on the scientific advisory team for Curable, which is an online program and app designed to help people with persistent pain reduce their symptoms and calm their nervous system. I am fortunate to serve as one of the facilitators for Curable Groups, which is their live online group program, and in that role, I get to hear Dr. Batson answer group members’ questions during a live Q + A physician session that’s part of the program. I learn something new every time and I so appreciate Dr. Batson’s openness about her own recovery story and her emphasis on self-compassion and standing up for ourselves. I was honored to interview her, and I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you! You can find Dr. Alicia Batson at: Website: ⁠https://aliciabatsonmd.com/ Talkiatry: www.talkiatry.com/team-members/alicia-batson-md OvidDx: https://oviddx.com/ And you can find me at: Instagram: ⁠@anna_holtzman⁠ Website: ⁠www.annaholtzman.com

Before we start today’s episode, I wanna tell you about a FREE workshop that I’m hosting on Wednesday June 7 at 1pm Eastern Time! This workshop is all about how to soothe your symptoms and unlock your creativity! We’re going to be doing some expressive writing exercises together, I’m gonna host a live Q&A, and I think it’ll be a really fun opportunity to get to know each other, so I hope you’ll join me! To learn more, you can visit my website at www.annaholtzman.com/ creativity-workshop-home And now for today’s episode. I sat down to chat with Rachel Gofman, whom I’ve been fan-girling on Instagram for quite some time. Rachel is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Certified Integrative Life Coach. Her mission is to help women liberate themselves from a life consumed by chronic pelvic pain, and to help them create lives of great purpose, connection, and intention, as they heal through a mind-body approach.   Rachel came into this work through her own journey of recovering from chronic pelvic pain, and one of the many reasons that I’m a fan of Rachel’s is that she is speaking openly, relatably and compassionately about a topic that most of us were raised to be silent about. I personally find Rachel’s perspective on mind-body healing to be so empowering, and I’m honored to be sharing our conversation here with you. You can find Rachel at: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepelvicpaincoach/ Website: https://www.thepelvicpaincoach.com/ And you can find me at: Instagram: @anna_holtzman Website: www.annaholtzman.com

Before we start today’s episode, I wanna tell you about a FREE workshop that I’m hosting on Wednesday June 7 at 1pm Eastern Time! This workshop is all about how to soothe your symptoms and unlock your creativity! We’re going to be doing some expressive writing exercises together, I’m gonna host a live Q&A, and I think it’ll be a really fun opportunity to get to know each other, so I hope you’ll join me! To learn more, you can visit my website at www.annaholtzman.com/creativity-workshop-home And you know what? before you listen to this episode, I invite you to hit pause, check out the workshop page and sign up! I would be so thrilled to see you there! •••   In today’s episode, I sat down to chat with my friend and colleague Dr. Andrea Moore. Andrea is a mom, wife and recovering health perfectionist. Her career path has been based on trying to fix everything wrong with her: from chronic pain & post-concussive syndrome to anxiety & ADHD. While she refused to accept this as her norm, trying to implement what she thought was necessary to alleviate her symptoms felt exhausting, restricting & impossible. Along her 15+ year journey, she became a Doctor of Physical Therapy, an Orthopedic Certified Specialist, Functional Nutritional Therapist, Life Coach and patriarchy & perfectionism smasher! Through years of education, self healing & working with 100s of people, she learned that it is always about coming back to yourself in order to live the life of your dreams. So, she now guides others who are suffering from chronic pain back to their bodies & living in a way that is aligned with the truest version of themselves. You can find Andrea at: Instagram: @drandreamoore Website: www.drandreamoore.com Podcast: Unweaving Chronic Pain And you can find me at: Instagram: @anna_holtzman Website: www.annaholtzman.com

How do you release physical and emotional tension from your body through writing? That’s what we’re gonna talk about today! For a text version of this episode, go to: https://medium.com/beingwell/whats-your-mind-body-relationship-status-b7f315267bbb To learn more about mind-body journaling, check out my online course Writing to Release Chronic Pain at www.annaholtzman/writingtorelease And say hi on Instagram at @anna_holtzman With warmth, Anna

If you've been on the path of mind-body healing for a while, you’ve undoubtedly heard over and over again that it’s important to process and release your emotions. But the question is, how? That’s what we’re going to talk about in today’s episode. And just a content warning, I will be using bathroom humor. For a transcript, go here: https://medium.com/beingwell/the-4-stages-of-emotional-release-845a9fb5dbcb Also, I wanna tell you about a pilot program that I’m running called the Chronic Pain to Passion Mentorship. This is an opportunity to work with me 1:1 and get my support with your chronic symptom recovery while you are pursuing a creative project or other passion project. Creatives often think that they need to stop pursuing their passion in order to rest and recover from chronic symptoms. But, as someone who’s been there myself, I have found that creative recovery and symptom recover actually go hand-in-hand. And I would love to support you with that. You can find out more on my website at www.annaholtzman.com/mentorship And if you'd like to try out the Curable app (which I mention in episode 1 as the entry point to my own healing journey), you can use my affiliate link to get a FREE 6-week trial — and during the month of May, get 60% off an annual subscription! www.curable.com/annaholtzman

What is the mind-body connection and how does it relate to pain and other symptoms?   We all know intuitively that emotional stress can be expressed in physical sensations and symptoms.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Some common examples are:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ You have a big deadline at work and you get a stomach ache in reaction to the stress. Or you have a big fight with a loved one and you wind up getting a headache from the fight. ⁠⁠ Or you watch a scary movie and your shoulders get so tight from the fear that you have a stiff neck at the end of watching it. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ These are all examples of physical reactions to mental and emotional stress. In each of these examples, the mind perceives something as stressful, and the body reacts.   That, in a nutshell, is the mind-body connection. And I haven’t told you anything that you don’t already know. Like I said, this stuff is intuitive. But in a culture where we’re encouraged to ignore our stress so that we can keep working and being productive, we don’t tend to talk or think about it a lot. So how do we start paying attention to the mind-body connection? There are an unlimited number of different ways to do this. So, I’m just going to share one of my favorite tools, which is starting a verbal dialogue between your mind and your body through expressive writing. And here are some conversation starters that you can try as journaling prompts: Here are the prompts: 👉 Dear symptom, what emotions are you feeling right now? (List them all out. If you need help with this, you could try scanning the Nonviolent Communication list of feelings .) 👉 Dear emotion, what do you need to feel honored? 👉 Dear emotion, is there a boundary that you need me to set?⁠ 👉 Dear emotion, do you need me to assert myself through self-expression, following my heart, or speaking up?⁠ 👉 Dear emotion, do you need support from allies  or peers? And if so, who should I reach out to? 👉 Dear emotion, do you need rest, nurturing or soothing? If you try these out, I'd love to hear how it goes! For more support with chronic symptoms, find me at: www.annaholtzman.com IG @anna_holtzman

What happens when the pressure to perform pulls you out of connection with yourself?In this solo episode, Anna explores the subtle but powerful difference between performance and connection — and how getting stuck in performance mode can cut us off from our creativity, intuition, and leadership.Drawing from her former career as a reality television editor, Anna shares a vivid behind-the-scenes story of what it was like to work creatively under intense pressure while being watched and judged in real time. Over the course of ten years in that environment, she discovered how easily the nervous system can spiral into self-conscious performance anxiety — and how that state disconnects us from the very flow we need in order to do our best work.But she also discovered a surprisingly simple pathway back.In this episode, Anna shares the strategy that repeatedly helped her return from performance mode into presence and creative flow: empathy.Through storytelling and a short guided reflection, you’ll explore:• The difference between performance mode and connection• How self-consciousness disrupts creativity and intuition• What performance anxiety feels like in the body• Why empathy can regulate the nervous system and restore creative flow• A simple exercise to reconnect with yourself when you feel stuck in self-judgment or being observedWhether you're a leader, creative, entrepreneur, or someone who often feels “on display” in your work or life, this episode offers a compassionate way to come back to yourself.Because your best work doesn’t come from performing.It comes from being present and connected. Try This ReflectionDuring the episode, Anna invites you to reflect on a moment when you felt pulled into performance mode — when you became overly aware of how you were being perceived.Notice what happens when you bring empathy toward that version of yourself.What changes in your breath, your muscles, and your energy when you shift from self-criticism to care? Free Workshop: Let Yourself Be SeenIf this episode resonated with you and you want to explore what it means to move out of performance and into authentic expression, Anna’s free workshop Let Yourself Be Seen is a great next step.In this workshop, you’ll explore the internal blocks that keep you hiding, performing, or second-guessing yourself — and begin practicing ways to show up with more clarity, creativity, and self-trust.You can sign up or download the workshop here:www.annaholtzman.com/beseen Stay ConnectedAnna loves hearing how these reflections land for listeners.If you try the exercise from this episode or have thoughts you’d like to share, you can email:anna@annaholtzman.com

In this episode, Anna talks with April Adams Pertuis, founder and CEO of LIGHTbeamers, visibility expert, and beloved guide for mission-driven women who want to speak with clarity, authenticity, and impact.April has over 30 years of storytelling experience — from TV journalism to producing to building a global community of women learning to use their stories as tools for connection, community, and business growth. Her core belief is simple and transformative: everybody has a story — and that story is how people find you, trust you, and feel safe in your presence.Together, Anna and April explore what it really means to share your voice with purpose, how to build visibility without feeling performative, and how your story becomes the bridge to deeper relationships and aligned opportunities.In this episode, we explore:• Why storytelling is a leadership skill — not a luxury• Why “everybody has a voice” isn’t the same as “everybody feels safe using it”• The fears that keep so many brilliant women quiet — and how to move through them• How to tell your story without memorizing a script• April’s storytelling framework that helps you show up authentically, even if speaking terrifies you• How sharing your real lived experience builds connection, community, and deal flow• Why your story is often the missing piece in your visibility strategy• What happens when you let yourself shine a light — not just for others, but for yourselfThis conversation is both grounding and emboldening — a reminder that your story is not a liability, but your greatest source of resonance and reach. Connect with April Adams Pertuis• Website: https://www.lightbeamers.com/• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightbeamers/• 365 Days of Story Prompts: https://www.lightbeamers.com/365Connect with Anna• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/• Website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/• Free workshop — Let Yourself Be Seen: https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

What does it actually mean to trust yourself?On a podcast called How to Trust Yourself, it feels only fair to answer that question directly.In this solo episode, I explore self-trust through a simple but powerful lens: trust is a relationship. And like any relationship, it’s built — and eroded — through everyday interactions.Using examples from intimate partnerships (including my own marriage), I walk through the most common ways we unintentionally break trust with ourselves — especially under stress — and how to gently repair it.Because here’s the truth: self-trust doesn’t collapse because you made one mistake. It erodes slowly through perfectionism, emotional avoidance, over-self-reliance, and rigid standards that leave no room for being human.And the good news? It can be rebuilt the same way it’s built between two people — through honesty, attunement, and consistent check-ins. In this episode, we explore:• Why self-trust is a relationship, not a personality trait• How stress quietly erodes trust between you and yourself• The danger of rigid, perfectionistic standards for “earning” trust• Why not sharing your real feelings (even with yourself) damages connection• The importance of listening to your own emotions without trying to fix them• How failing to initiate self-check-ins creates distance internally• What self-attunement looks like in real life• Why radical self-reliance can actually backfire• Gentle, practical ways to begin rebuilding self-trust today The Core MessageYou don’t build trust with a partner by demanding perfection.You build it by:• Making space for humanity• Listening• Repairing when there’s a rupture• Checking in consistently• Allowing imperfectionThe same is true with yourself.If you’ve been hard on yourself lately…If stress has made you reactive or self-critical…If you’ve been walking on eggshells around your own mistakes…This episode is an invitation to soften.Self-trust isn’t about never messing up.It’s about staying in relationship when you do. Want Support Rebuilding Self-Trust?If you’d like someone to walk alongside you as you repair and strengthen your self-trust, this is the work I do.You can learn more at AnnaHoltzman.comEmail me directly at Anna@AnnaHoltzman.comOr send me a voice note on Instagram at @Anna_Holtzman If this episode resonated, share it with someone who’s been holding themselves to impossible standards lately.And as always — I have so much faith in you.See you next week.

In this episode, Anna sits down with Tracy Matthews, serial entrepreneur, Chief Visionary Officer of Creative Launchpad, and the creator of The Art of Reinvention. Tracy has spent her career helping creatives and founders build businesses that reflect who they truly are — not who they used to be.In this episode, we explore:What The Art of Reinvention is — and why Tracy created itThe patterns she kept seeing in creatives at every level, why reinvention is inevitable, and how letting it be conscious (rather than forced) changes everything.How Tracy personally knows she’s on the cusp of a pivotThe physical and emotional cues, the intuition nudges, the discomfort, the boredom, the misalignment — and what she’s learned about listening sooner rather than later.The “pre-pivot” stageHow this liminal phase shows up in her clients: the restlessness, the grief, the identity confusion, the craving for something bigger, and the exact moment when clarity starts to break through.The fears and barriers that keep people from reinventingTracy names the big ones she sees again and again:fear of losing what you’ve builtfear of disappointing othersfear of starting overfear of visibilityfear of learning new ways of workingShe shares how she moves through these moments herself and how she supports her mentees to do the same.What’s on the other side of reinventionThe relief, the renewed energy, the alignment, the creativity, the freedom — and also the truth that pivoting isn’t a magic cure. There are challenges, identity shifts, and growing pains even after you’ve said yes to your next evolution.Why reinvention is worth itTracy talks about the deep satisfaction that comes from honoring your growth, trusting your inner voice, and letting yourself become the next version of you — even when you don’t have the whole map.This episode is a love letter to the creative who’s standing at the edge of something new. Connect with TracyWebsite: https://creativesruletheworld.comIG: @iamtracymatthews and @creativesruletheworldLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamtracymatthews/Her mentorship program The Art of Reinvention: https://reinvent.tracymatthews.com/art-of-reinventionHer podcast: Creatives Rule the World Connect with AnnaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/Website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/Free workshop — Let Yourself Be Seen: https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

Have you ever felt boxed in by the very role that once lifted you up?In this solo episode, I share a moment from my visibility group, Seen & Safe, when a member said she was “so tired of being known by my credentials.” That one sentence sparked recognition around the Zoom room — because so many of us know the feeling.Our degrees, titles, and professional identities can help us build credibility and safety. They can open doors. They can even change our lives.And then, at some point, they can start to feel… constricting.In this episode, we explore:Why high-achieving, sensitive people often lean on professional identity for safetyHow success can quietly turn into performanceThe subtle body signals that tell you you’re no longer fully yourselfMy own story of trying to “look and sound like a therapist” — and how it literally gave me headachesWhat shifted when I stopped performing and started embodyingA simple awareness practice to help you move from role-playing into permissionThis conversation is for you if:You’re navigating a career pivotYou’ve outgrown a version of yourself but feel scared to let it goYou feel known for one narrow slice of who you areYou sense there’s more of you that wants to come forwardYou don’t have to reject your professional identity.But you don’t have to live inside it either. Work With MeIf this episode stirred something in you — if you’re craving more permission, more alignment, more freedom in how you show up — this is exactly the kind of work I love supporting.You can:Visit annaholtzman.comEmail me at anna@annaholtzman.comOr send me a DM on Instagram @anna_holtzmanAnd if this episode resonated, I’d love to hear what it sparked for you.

What if healing — and becoming who you’re meant to be — doesn’t happen through pushing harder… but through softening?In this episode, Anna is joined by Chelsea Emery, a chronic pain and symptom recovery coach who recovered from 45 years of migraines, along with a cascade of other debilitating symptoms, using mind-body and nervous-system-informed approaches.Chelsea is also a recent private coaching client of Anna’s and a member of the Seen & Safe community, and this conversation offers a rare inside look at the identity shift that often unfolds alongside healing: letting go of an old career, releasing pressure-based patterns, and stepping into a new way of working and living — without repeating the same burnout cycle.Together, Anna and Chelsea explore the deep parallels between chronic pain recovery and stepping into visibility, leadership, and a new professional identity. Chelsea shares how journaling, emotional expression, nervous-system safety, and allowing support helped her heal — and how those same principles now shape the way she supports others.This is a conversation about healing, yes — but also about permission. Permission to soften. Permission to receive support. Permission to stop earning your worth through pressure.In this episode, we explore:What it’s like when chronic symptoms pile up and your world starts to shrinkHow Chelsea recovered from decades of migraines and other unexplained symptomsWhy autonomy and choice are essential for nervous-system healingThe role of journaling and emotional expression in recoveryThe grief and identity shift that can come with leaving a meaningful careerHow fear shows up during visibility and career transitions (and how to work with it gently)Why baby steps often create faster, more sustainable change than pushingThe overlap between mind-body healing and entrepreneurshipWhat “softening” actually looks like in real life — and why it isn’t weaknessChelsea’s core message:Soft doesn’t mean weak. Softening is a strength. Connect with Chelsea Emery🌿 Website: https://yourpeacefulpathways.com/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emery_cj/Connect with AnnaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/Website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/Free workshop — Let Yourself Be Seen: https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

In this episode, I’m sharing a deeply personal reflection on hiding and visibility—how parts of us retreat for safety, and how they eventually long to surface again.Through the lens of my Jewish experience, family lineage, and recent years of navigating identity in a politicized world, I explore how hiding can be a necessary survival strategy—and how, over time, it can begin to feel constricting rather than protective.This is a story about ancestry and memory, about scattered threads finding their way back to one another, and about the quiet courage it takes to let ourselves be seen—often not in grand declarations, but in small, relational acts of connection.I also reflect on moments when I felt scared and unsteady while recording this episode itself, and why I chose to keep coming back anyway. What emerged was a reminder that visibility doesn’t require perfection—it requires presence.Whether you resonate with these stories through your own heritage, your creativity, your sensitivity, or a part of you that’s been hiding for a long time, my hope is that this episode offers permission to surface gently, at your own pace, and with the support of one safe connection. In this episode, we explore:How hiding can be a protective response—not a personal failureWhat generational survival teaches us about visibility and safetyThe difference between hiding for safety and hiding out of fearWhy parts of us begin to surface when hiding becomes too costlyThe power of connection when we risk being seen by just one personHow creativity, confidence, and belonging often flow from gentle visibility A gentle invitationIf something in this episode stirred a part of you that’s been hiding—whether for weeks, years, or a lifetime—I invite you to name it. You don’t need perfect language. Just enough words to acknowledge it exists.And if it feels right, share that part with one safe person and notice what unfolds.If you’d like a partner to walk alongside you as you bring hidden parts of yourself into visibility—with nervous-system support, care, and attunement—you’re welcome to reach out. You can email me at anna@annaholtzman.com, visit annaholtzman.com, or send me a voice message on Instagram @anna_holtzman. About the podcastHow to Trust Yourself is a podcast for sensitive, creative, and thoughtful humans who want to move through fear, visibility, and transition by working with their nervous system—not against it.

In this deeply honest and wide-ranging crossover episode, Anna sits down with Zack Arnold — award-winning Hollywood editor (Cobra Kai, Burn Notice, Glee), creator of the Optimize Yourself program, and now host of The Zack Arnold Podcast — to talk about what REALLY happens behind the scenes of a life pivot.Together, they explore the messy middle of reinvention: income dips, identity crises, disappearing industries, burnout, fear spirals, and the slow rebuilding of confidence and clarity. Both Anna and Zack share what caused them to walk away from long-held identities, how they each discovered they were “optimizing the wrong thing,” and the small, compassionate actions that helped them get unstuck.This episode is a balm if you’re currently:Questioning your career pathStaring at an uncertain futureTrying to force yourself down a path that no longer fitsFeeling behind, frozen, or overwhelmedOr sensing a pivot is coming but terrified to beginZack also shares powerful stories from his coaching clients — including one who went from panic and paralysis to choosing a whole new creative direction — and Anna talks about using her Melt-Through Method journaling practice to move through the fear of her own recent pivot.In this episode, we explore:What it feels like when life kicks you into a pivot before you’re readyWhy “waiting for things to go back to normal” keeps you stuckHow to know when your brand (or identity) no longer fitsThe difference between overhauling your life vs. finding the next right experimentWhat happens to your nervous system during change — and how to support itWhy connection beats problem-solving when you’re spinningThe power of micro-actions when motivation is goneHow to create safety during a pivot instead of forcing yourself to “push through”Practical stories of people choosing a new direction — even in a collapsing industryConnect with Zack ArnoldPodcast: The Zack Arnold PodcastSubstack newsletter: (search “Zack Arnold” on Substack)Coaching, courses, and The Arnold Academy: https://thearnoldacademy.comConnect with AnnaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/Website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/Free workshop — Let Yourself Be Seen: https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseen