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

Have you ever had a moment where being visible suddenly felt… dangerous?In this episode, I share a story I’ve never forgotten—from second grade, when I was the eager kid raising her hand… until my teacher said something that made me shrink. It was one sentence that planted a seed of shame and taught me that being seen might not be safe.That moment became what I now call a visibility wound—an early experience where being visible led to shame, rejection, or punishment. And the thing is: those wounds don’t stay in childhood. They resurface every time we go to share something that feels vulnerable and meaningful.Whether it’s launching an offer, posting on Instagram, speaking up in a meeting, or just sharing your voice in a group—you might notice fear, procrastination, or even total shutdown. That doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. It means your nervous system is doing its job to protect you.But the good news is: visibility wounds can be healed. Not through pushing harder—but through compassion, safety, and gentle, consistent practice.In this episode, I talk about:What a visibility wound actually is (and how to spot yours)How it shows up in creative and professional lifeWhy these moments hit so hard—and how to work with themThe 4 tools I use with myself and my clients to move through fearHow visibility becomes easier when we stop going it aloneIf you've ever frozen at the first step, ghosted your own goals, or judged yourself for not being more confident—this episode is for you. 🌱 Want Support Healing Your Visibility Wounds?💻 Watch the free workshop:Let Yourself Be Seen — a nervous-system-safe approach to being visible without burning out or abandoning yourself. www.annaholtzman.com/beseen👥 Join the membership:Seen & Safe — our cozy group coaching circle where you’ll get biweekly support, practical tools, and a safe place to melt fear and take meaningful steps toward your next creative or business leap. www.annaholtzman.com/seenandsafe

In this heartfelt and revealing episode, Anna sits down with New York City-based psychotherapist Sean Hershey, LCSW, to explore what it really means to heal—from chronic pain, from emotional repression, and from the lifelong habit of hiding parts of yourself to survive.Sean is the host of the podcast Mind-Body Medicine for Chronic Pain, where he brings raw honesty, depth, and humor to the complex world of chronic symptom recovery. In today’s conversation, he shares what led him to this work, how his own experiences with pain and identity shape his approach as a therapist, and why expressing your truth—even when it’s scary—is a crucial part of healing.We talk about:What it means to be “a highly functioning zombie”The emotional root causes of chronic painWhy Sean launched his podcast (and what it brought up for him emotionally)How telling your story can be a healing actThe role of community and mentorship in building self-trustIf you’ve ever felt like you had to hide parts of yourself to get through life, or if you’re on your own healing path and looking for inspiration to keep going, this episode will speak directly to you.Learn more about Sean and his work:🌐 mindbodymedicineforchronicpain.com📸 Instagram: @my_gay_therapist🎧 Podcast: Mind-Body Medicine for Chronic Pain (available wherever you listen) Work with AnnaIf you’re a sensitive, purpose-driven human—like a coach, creative, or entrepreneur—who wants to build a life and business that feels deeply aligned (without overriding your nervous system), I’d love to support you.✨ Learn more and apply to work with me, visit annaholtzman.com or find me on Instagram @anna_holtzman

In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Febuary—trauma-informed writing coach, embodiment teacher, founder of For Women Who Roar, and author of Brave the Page: How Writing Our Hard Stories Brings Healing and Wholeness. Megan shares her journey into storytelling as a healing practice and how writing from a trauma-informed lens can transform not only the stories we tell but who we become in the process.We dive into concepts like “creative consensuality,” how to approach writing with compassion and care, and why it’s not about the end product but the healing that happens along the way. If you’ve been curious about using writing to process trauma, find your voice, or build creative community, this conversation offers gentle guidance and inspiration.Connect with Megan Febuary:Website: meganafebuary.comFor Women Who Roar: forwomenwhoroar.comInstagram: @meganfebuaryInstagram: @forwomenwhoroarBook: Brave the Page: How Writing Our Hard Stories Brings Healing and WholenessConnect with Anna Holtzman:Website: annaholtzman.comInstagram: @anna_holtzmanEmail: anna@annaholtzman.com

In this episode, I get real about what it’s like to have a sensitive nervous system—and how that sensitivity, while it can sometimes derail your day, is actually a source of creativity, intuition, and connection. I share a recent experience with our cat, Billie, whose vet visit turned into a spiral of worry about her dental health. Through journaling, self-compassion, and nervous system regulation, I navigated the overwhelm and found my way back into flow—and discovered how even the most challenging moments can inform and inspire our work.If you often feel sensitive, overstimulated, or “derailed” by small daily stressors, this episode is for you. I’ll show you why taking care of your nervous system isn’t wasted time—it’s a key part of doing meaningful work, showing up authentically, and fueling your creativity.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:How to reframe sensitivity as a superpower instead of a barrierPractical ways to tend to your nervous system when small stressors feel bigHow to move through fear, overwhelm, or self-criticism without getting stuckWhy the way we handle everyday disruptions is actually connected to our creativity and purposeJoin Me Live for My Workshop:I also invite you to join my free live workshop, Let Yourself Be Seen, on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 1pm ET. This is for sensitive creatives and entrepreneurs who want to share their work without losing themselves. We’ll explore how to:Use fear as a gateway into authentic self-expressionShare your work without burning out or abandoning yourselfMake visibility feel energizing, not performative or drainingSign up here: www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

If you've ever looked around at your life and thought, "Is this it?"—this episode is your wake-up call. Speaker, author, and "aliveness evangelist" Jodi Wellman joins me for a bold, funny, and deeply honest conversation about what it means to really live before we die.We talk about what snapped her out of autopilot, how grief cracked her open to a more vibrant life, and why facing our mortality can actually be the most life-affirming move we can make. Jodi shares stories and strategies from her new book, You Only Die Once, and we explore how trusting yourself and embracing your aliveness are deeply intertwined.Whether you're feeling stuck in a life that looks great on paper but feels flat, or you're just craving more zing in your everyday, this conversation is packed with perspective, humor, and permission to want more out of your time above ground.We talk about:What it means to be a “highly functioning zombie”How grief (and the death of her mom) woke Jodi upWhy death is actually one of the most motivating forces for joy and changeHow to stop squandering your precious timePractical tools for snapping out of autopilotThe difference between productivity and alivenessWhy it’s okay (and necessary!) to want more from your one lifeMore from Jodi Wellman:Website: https://fourthousandmondays.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fourthousandmondays/Book: You Only Die Once (Available wherever books are sold)Work with me:If this episode stirred something in you—if you're craving more boldness, more clarity, more you in your life and work—I’d love to support you. I help sensitive, ambitious humans like you overcome fear and visibility blocks so you can share your voice and build a business that feels aligned and alive. Learn more and book a free call here: https://www.annaholtzman.com/breakthroughSubscribe + Share:If you loved this episode, subscribe to How to Trust Yourself on your favorite podcast app and share it with a friend who’s ready to stop sleepwalking and start really living.

Ever had a moment where everything felt fine… until it wasn’t?In this episode, I share a deeply personal story about an emotional blow-up with my husband—how it unfolded, what it triggered, and what it taught me about fear, shame, and self-protection.This isn't just a story about relationships. It’s a mirror for what so many of us experience in business, creativity, and visibility:That moment when a hidden landmine gets tripped, and before we even know we’re in a fear response, we’ve shut down, disappeared, or lit a match to something we care about.I talk about:The shame spiral that follows emotional triggersThe old pattern of blowing up and walking awayHow these same dynamics show up in creative and professional lifeThe mind-body tools that help me stay with myself and rebuild connectionWhy this is the exact work I do with my 1:1 coaching clientsIf you’ve ever ghosted your own dreams after a hit of self-doubt, or found yourself in a freeze state without knowing why—this episode will speak to you.And if you’re ready to move through fear without burning out or abandoning yourself…→ Download the free workshop Let Yourself Be Seen: www.annaholtzman.com/beseen→  Join the waitlist for 1:1 coaching here: www.annaholtzman.comSpots open this September and waitlisters get first dibs.

Welcome back, dear listener. I am so thrilled to share today’s episode with someone who has had a really meaningful presence in my own journey—Liz Kimball.Liz and I met about ten years ago in a coaching certification program, and I really looked up to her. She had already been coaching for years and brought this grounded, wise, creative energy to everything she did. After the course ended, I got to work with her as a client, and it was a pretty magical experience for me. So, reconnecting with her for this conversation felt like a full-circle moment.Liz is a creativity catalyst and transformational coach for visionary creators. She’s the founder of The Creative15 and The Expansion Project Creative Development Lab, and her work is all about helping women and girls free their voices and bring their brave creative work into the world—without burning themselves out in the process. Her work has been featured on TEDx, Oprah.com, The Guggenheim, and at universities and institutions throughout the country. She’s also a mother and, as she says, a nonlinear duck—more on that in the episode.In our conversation, we talked about the importance of having a safe, de-pressurized space for the creative process to unfold—something Liz creates so beautifully for her clients. As she put it, she needed “a de-pressurized environment to hear the sound of me,” and I think so many of us can relate to that.We also talked about her nonlinear path to coaching—how she started long before coaching was a buzzword—and how she’s followed the quiet tugs of her inner voice, often before she could see the full picture.This one’s for anyone who’s feeling the call to create something, even if it doesn’t all make sense yet. I hope you love it as much as I did.You can find Liz at:lizkimball.comhttps://www.instagram.com/lizkimball/And you can find me at:Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@anna_holtzman⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Email: anna@annaholtzman.comWebsite: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.annaholtzman.com⁠

In today’s episode, I’m getting personal and sharing a story that I honestly find a little embarrassing. I’m not always graceful with transitions—especially when it comes to slowing down. Summer is usually a time when my energy and my business naturally slow down, but even though I know it’s good for me, I can resist it pretty intensely.I know this isn’t just me. I see it in my clients and in myself: there’s this tension between wanting to slow down and the nervous system’s resistance to it. We often push ourselves through that resistance and feel frustrated when we can’t just “switch off” or enjoy the downtime we think we should be having.I’m sharing my experience with you because I want to remind you that you're not alone in this struggle. Slowing down can feel awkward, frustrating, and even a little depressing. But it doesn’t have to be perfect to be valuable. I’ve been learning that, and I want to offer you some tools that are helping me navigate this transition, like my mantra Slow Summer and some simple self-regulation practices.In this episode, I dive into:Why transitions can be awkward and difficult (even when we know they’re needed)How to embrace slow without judgment or self-criticismThe power of giving yourself grace through the discomfort of shifting gearsA self-reflection practice to help you release pressure and soften into your natural rhythmIf you’re feeling stuck in a similar transition or struggling with the pressure to “do more,” I invite you to consider how embracing slow can actually help you feel more aligned. And if you need support along the way, I’d love to help.Ready to slow down but need support?I’m opening up my one-on-one coaching for the fall. If you’re tired of pushing through and want to create more space for what feels good, I’d love to help you do that. You can learn more and join the waitlist at www.annaholtzman.com. Feel free to email me directly at anna@annaholtzman.com or connect with me on Instagram at @anna_holtzman.Thank you for listening! If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend or leave a review. Your support means the world to me and helps me keep showing up in this space.