Today, I interview Heidi Fischbach who grew up in a strict, high-control environment where fear and rules shaped how she learned to speak and exist. From an early age, she carried the weight of right and wrong, heaven and hell, and learned to stay small to stay safe.

As she grew older, this constant vigilance became anxiety and self-silencing. Her turning point came when she began to understand how the body holds old fear-based patterns, and how healing the nervous system can restore a sense of safety and calm. Through curiosity and self-friendliness, she learned that safety isn’t just emotional, it’s physical, and that when the body feels safe, the voice naturally begins to emerge.

Today, Heidi helps others reset their nervous systems and rediscover what it feels like to be calm, connected, and expressive. She teaches that healing happens in small, steady increments, not through force, but through gentleness and presence.

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Heidi Fischbach is a nervous system coach and writer who helps people reset after high-control environments, whether that’s a fundamentalist religion, a rigid family system, or chronic survival mode. With training in Focusing, Polyvagal Theory, and body-based trauma healing, she helps clients feel safe, connected, and at home in their bodies.

She is currently finishing her memoir, Missionary Kid: How My Body Saved My Mind from High-Control Christianity, and offers a program called The Nervous System Jumpstart.
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Find Heidi here:
https://www.instagram.com/heidifischbach/

https://www.heidifischbach.com

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I’m Dr. Doreen Downing and I help people find their voice so they can speak without fear. Get the Free 7-Step Guide to Fearless Speaking https://www.doreen7steps.com​.