Pulling Threads, Weaving Authenticity

If you’re a therapist or coach who wants to start a podcast but keeps putting it off, this episode is for you.I’m breaking down the six biggest fears that stop helping professionals from pressing record — and gently debunking each one.In this episode, I’m not talking about microphones, editing software, or going viral. I’m talking about the real reasons therapists and coaches hesitate to use their voice publicly — fear of being seen, imposter syndrome, time, tech overwhelm, decision paralysis, and the quiet worry that no one will listen.As a therapist, coach, and host of the Pulling Threads podcast, I waited a long time to start my own show. What finally helped wasn’t more research — it was understanding what was actually holding me back and taking one small step at a time.If podcasting has been on your heart but something keeps stopping you, this conversation is meant to help you feel calmer, clearer, and more capable.In this episode, we cover:Why procrastination around podcasting is often protective, not lazinessThe truth about imposter syndrome for therapists and coachesFear of visibility, judgment, and being misunderstoodWhy “I don’t have time” doesn’t mean what you think it meansHow consistency can look different (and still work)Why technology is no longer the barrier it used to beDecision paralysis around naming, format, and where to startThe fear no one talks about: What if no one listens?Why podcasts aren’t about going viral — they’re about resonanceHow a podcast can support your practice, visibility, and referralsWho this is for:✔ Therapists✔ Coaches✔ Helping professionals✔ Anyone who’s thought “I want to start a podcast… but”About Press RecordFor more information about the cohort, go to https://theloomlife.com/podcast-courseI created Press Record, a live 6-week cohort for therapists and coaches who want to launch a podcast together — with structure, support, and real accountability.The cohort includes:Weekly live meetingsStep-by-step video lessonsMarketing & YouTube templatesAI tools to simplify editing and contentA private community of therapists & coaches launching togetherIf this episode helped your nervous system soften or your fear feel more manageable, that may be your cue.👉 Learn more about Press Record:[ADD LINK]About MeI’m Leslie Mathews — therapist, coach, and host of the Pulling Threads podcast. I help therapists, coaches, and women in transition use their voice, untangle fear, and build aligned, sustainable paths forward.🎙 Subscribe for more conversations on authenticity, visibility, nervous system regulation, and meaningful work.

In this episode of Pulling Threads, we explore the quiet unraveling that can happen inside a high-control marriage: the identity loss, the normalization of pain, the body symptoms that show up long before the mind is ready to listen.This is a deeply honest, unscripted conversation about staying because it “wasn’t that bad,” enduring for faith, vows, and children, and the moment validation finally breaks through the fog. We talk about how the nervous system holds truth, how faith can become complicated inside marriage, and what it looks like to surrender without losing yourself.You’ll hear reflections on rebuilding after separation, co-parenting with boundaries, trauma healing, mindfulness, EMDR, and the surprising peace that can come on the other side—especially learning to be alone without feeling lonely.This conversation is for anyone who feels high-functioning but exhausted, capable but disconnected, faithful but conflicted, and quietly wondering if there is more peace available than the life they’re currently enduring.I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention.🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUPMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & BreakupsWhere neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise.📅 Starts late January🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women)#DivorceRecovery #LifeAfterDivorce #DivorceHealing #CoParenting #NervousSystemHealing

What we are experiencing right now—as a country, as communities, and as individuals—is not normal. And your body knows it.In this episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie Mathews speaks directly to the collective nervous system response many of us are feeling but struggling to name. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, distracted, angry, numb, tearful, or constantly on edge, this conversation offers language, validation, and practical support grounded in trauma-informed neuroscience.We explore what trauma researchers call Continuous Traumatic Stress—a state where the nervous system never gets a chance to complete the stress cycle because threat keeps coming. Leslie also names and explains moral injury, vicarious trauma, and anticipatory trauma, helping listeners understand why so many people feel exhausted, divided, and disconnected right now.This episode is not about politics or sides. It’s about what prolonged stress does to the human nervous system—and how trauma responses like fight, flight, freeze, and fawn can quietly fracture relationships, communities, and our ability to see one another clearly.You’ll learn:Why what you’re feeling is a normal human response to ongoing threatHow continuous traumatic stress differs from PTSDWhat moral injury feels like in the bodyWhy trauma increases division—even among people who care deeplyHow helplessness forms when systems themselves cause harmTrauma-informed tools to support nervous system regulation right nowLeslie also offers practical regulation strategies, including:Pendulation and healthy boundaries with news and mediaSomatic release to complete the stress cycleCo-regulation and the power of presenceGrounding practices for moments of overwhelmFinding small, aligned actions that restore agencyThis episode is a space to pause, breathe, and remember that your nervous system is not broken—it is trying to protect you. Healing and resilience don’t come from bypassing what’s happening, but from staying regulated enough to remain connected, compassionate, and human.If you’ve been feeling like something is deeply off, you’re not alone—and you’re not imagining it.Keywords / SEO tags:nervous system regulation, collective trauma, continuous traumatic stress, moral injury explained, vicarious trauma, anticipatory trauma, trauma informed podcast, mindfulness and trauma, somatic regulation, trauma and the nervous system, grounding techniques, emotional regulation, stress cycle, co regulation, healing during uncertain timesConnect with Leslie & The LooM:🌿 Website: https://www.theloomlife.com🎙️ Podcast: Pulling Threads📸 Instagram (Coaching & Content): @the.loom.life🧠 Instagram (Therapy): @loomlifetherapy🎥 YouTube: Pulling Threads🎵 TikTok: @parandpeaceIf this episode supported you, please consider liking, subscribing, and sharing it with someone who might need it. Gentle conversations create ripples—and we move through this together.

In this episode of Pulling Threads, Leslie sits down with Courtney Carter for an intimate conversation about what happens when you grow up in a small town and later realize you’ve been postponing your voice.They talk about the unspoken rules many of us learned early: stay agreeable, don’t take up too much space, don’t say the dream out loud, don’t make anyone uncomfortable. And then adulthood arrives and something shifts. You move. You leave. You enter new rooms. You start seeing how much of your personality was protection.Courtney shares what it was like navigating identity as a biracial girl in a small, isolated environment, how stereotypes and expectations shape self-expression, and why boundaries can feel terrifying when you were trained to keep the peace. Together, they explore people-pleasing, perfectionism, communication, and the slow return to self-trust.If you’ve ever felt like you edited yourself to fit in, this one is for you.💛I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention.🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUPMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & BreakupsWhere neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise.📅 Starts late January🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women)#Boundaries #SelfTrust #Mindfulness #AuthenticLiving #NervousSystemRegulation

What if your divorce isn’t the end—but the beginning of your most aligned life?In this episode, I sit down with Amber Shaw, host of The Divorce Revolution Podcast and business coach for divorced women, for an honest conversation about turning pain into purpose, rebuilding confidence, and creating a business rooted in lived experience.Amber opens up about navigating the end of her marriage at 40, building her first online business while still working full-time, and how mentorship helped her scale to six figures—twice. We talk candidly about the real challenges divorced moms face, including time constraints, financial pressure, and the fear of getting it wrong when the stakes feel high.We also explore what it really means to “stay in your lane” as a coach, how to share your story without oversharing or creating conflict, and why authenticity—not perfection—is what truly attracts the right clients.Whether you’re considering divorce, in the middle of it, or rebuilding life and income on the other side, this conversation will help you reconnect with your confidence, clarity, and sense of identity.In this episode, you’ll hear about:Reframing divorce as a catalyst for reinventionLow-risk ways to start a coaching side hustleHow mentorship shortens the learning curve and builds confidenceMoving through fear and freeze with both courage and compassionSharing your story safely while protecting your kids and peaceThe difference between therapy and coaching and why scope mattersKnowing when to delegate so you can focus on what you do bestWhy you don’t need to be fully healed to help others—just a few steps aheadThis episode is for women ready to stop waiting for permission and start building what’s next.I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention.🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUPMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & BreakupsWhere neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise.📅 Starts late January🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women)If you're NOT navigating divorce but are interested in another MBSR group, send me a message on Instagram! I’m exploring a second February cohort.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.loom.life?igsh=ZHl3Nm1ibWd4dm1wFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19bKH1AGZ9/#DivorceRecovery #WomenRebuilding #LifeAfterDivorce #PurposeDrivenBusiness #WomenSupportingWomen

Parenting can feel surprisingly hard, even when you love your kids deeply. In this episode of Pulling Threads, we talk about parental burnout, old conditioning, and the internal patterns that can quietly run in the background and drain your energy.I’m joined by Mackenzie Kinmond, a parenthood transformation coach and therapist who helps overwhelmed parents step out of survival mode and reconnect with daily joy. Together, we explore why your nervous system can react before your thinking brain has a chance to catch up, why certain ages and stages can activate old wounds, and how burnout is often less about “trying harder” and more about shifting what you’re carrying.We also talk about the “Four Horsemen” that show up in everyday parenting: people pleasing, perfectionism, over functioning, and self sacrifice. If you’ve been feeling exhausted, reactive, or disconnected from the parent you want to be, this conversation offers a compassionate path forward, with practical ways to start making small, doable changes that create real relief over time.In this episode, we cover:Why parenting can activate trauma at specific ages and stagesNervous system regulation and embodiment in real life parenting momentsBlocked care, burnout, and why shame fuels dysregulationRepair after conflict and why it strengthens secure attachmentMicro shifts, boundaries, and creating structure that lowers stressHow to move from survival mode toward presence, clarity, and authenticityYou can also listen to Pulling Threads on my podcast and watch on YouTube.I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention.🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUPMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & BreakupsWhere neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise.📅 Starts late January🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women)#ParentalBurnout #MindfulParenting #NervousSystemRegulation #EmotionalRegulation #ConsciousParenting

Welcome to the first episode of Authentic by Design, a transformative series about discovering your true self, reclaiming your life, and stepping off autopilot. If you’ve ever felt like you’re watching life happen to someone else, like life isn’t really yours, or like you’re aged-ahead while still waiting to feel alive, you’re in the right place.In this episode, I share a moment of awakening — sitting in my car in a Tampa parking garage, realizing the job, marriage, and identity I’d built wasn’t mine. I explore how we abandon ourselves to fit in, perform, succeed, and survive — and why that creates misalignment even at the height of achievement.👉 If you’ve ever thought, “On paper my life looks great — but I don’t feel it inside” — this episode is for you.🧠 In This Episode You’ll Learn:✔ What it feels like when you’re living someone else’s life✔ How childhood, culture, school, and social systems shape inauthentic paths✔ The myth of success = happiness✔ Why the “Sunday Scaries” may actually be your body telling you something is off✔ How your nervous system signals misalignment✔ A powerful invitation to listen to your body & inner knowing✔ A roadmap for the rest of this 4-part series on authentic living📍 Chapters / Timestamps0:00 — Episode Intro: Awakening in Tampa2:15 — What It Feels Like to Live a Life That’s Not Yours5:40 — Why Achievement Doesn’t Always Equal Alignment9:20 — Authenticity vs Performance (Therapy, Career, Culture)12:55 — The Sunday Scaries: A Hidden Alarm System15:42 — Invitation: Listening to Your Body18:10 — Where Inauthenticity Begins — Childhood & Conditioning23:00 — Systems That Teach Us to Abandon Ourselves26:35 — People Most Susceptible to Losing Themselves29:50 — The Four Pathways to Awakening34:15 — Physical & Emotional Signs You’re Off-Course39:40 — How to Know You’re Ready to Come Back42:10 — Your First Invitation Toward Alignment45:00 — Closing + What’s Coming Next in the Series❤️ If This Resonated With You✨ Subscribe so you don’t miss Episode 2 — where we dig into nervous system science + practical steps for returning to YOUR voice.💬 Comment: What did you feel when you asked your body if you’re living your life?👍 Like & Share with someone who needs to hear this.🔗 Connect With Me👉 Subscribe for all episodes & updates👉 Follow on IG/TikTok for clips & reflections👉 Join the conversation in the comments

What if peace isn’t something you find, but something you expand into?In Part 2 of this powerful Pulling Threads conversation, host Leslie Matthews continues her deeply honest and expansive dialogue with Liza Lounsbury, exploring what it truly means to outgrow old identities, regulate the nervous system, and rebuild life from the inside out.This episode dives into the uncomfortable but transformative seasons of life—identity loss, reinvention, grief, sobriety, divorce, and rebuilding after everything you thought your life would be falls apart. Together, Leslie and Liza unpack how subconscious programming, people-pleasing, perfectionism, and unprocessed trauma shape our reality—and how conscious awareness allows us to create something entirely new.You’ll hear a grounded, compassionate exploration of:Why your comfort zone determines your capacity for peaceHow identity shifts impact manifestation and aligned livingNervous system regulation as the foundation for resilience and abundanceLetting go of labels like “divorced,” “addict,” or “failure”Processing grief, anger, and fear without resistanceLiving consciously instead of reacting on autopilotCreating inner safety regardless of external chaosWhy embodiment, presence, and awareness change everything—from relationships to intimacyThis episode is especially resonant for women navigating divorce, separation, sobriety, motherhood, burnout, or major life transitions. It’s an invitation to step out of survival mode and into conscious creation, self-trust, and emotional freedom.If you’re entering a new season, questioning who you are becoming, or learning how to live with more peace, clarity, and alignment—this conversation will meet you right where you are.✨ A reminder: you are not broken, behind, or failing. You are evolving.I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention.🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUPMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & BreakupsWhere neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise.📅 Starts late January🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women)#HealingAfterDivorce#NervousSystemRegulation#MindfulnessForWomen#IdentityShifts#AlignedLife

✨ Endings, Beginnings, and Everything In-Between | Reflecting on 2025 & Welcoming 2026As 2025 comes to a close, many of us feel a mix of exhaustion, gratitude, and quiet hope. In this episode of Pulling Threads, host Leslie Mathews—therapist, coach, and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) teacher—dives deep into the emotions that surface at the end of a long year.We talk about what it means to release old versions of ourselves, honor the grief beneath “growth,” and find softer ways to begin again. If you’re tired of the “new year, new you” pressure and craving peace, reflection, and authenticity instead—this episode is for you.🪶 In this episode:Why endings feel heavier this year (from a neuroscience & nervous-system lens)How astrology and human design mirror this collective shiftLetting go of old identities & patterns that no longer fitThe truth about “healing hustle” and toxic positivityGentle reflection prompts to close your year with graceWhy slowing down is the most radical form of self-care💬 “You’re allowed to arrive slowly. You’re allowed to hope, even if it’s quiet.”🌿 Connect with Leslie Mathews & The LooM Life:🧵 Website: www.theloomlife.com📸 Instagram (Coaching): @the.loom.life💭 Instagram (Therapy): @loomlifetherapy🎙️ Podcast: Pulling Threads on Apple Podcasts & Spotify📹 YouTube: Pulling Threads Channel📱 TikTok: @the.loom.life📘 Facebook: The LooM Life

If you’ve been feeling the shift in the online business world, shorter attention spans, harder-to-earn trust, and marketing that doesn’t hit the way it used to, this conversation is for you.In this episode, I sit down with Carly Hill, a licensed clinical social worker turned seven-figure business mentor, Reiki Master, NLP practitioner, and author of Therapist Owner. We talk about what it really takes for therapists and helping professionals to build a sustainable, ethical coaching business without losing heart, integrity, or themselves in the process.We cover:⦁ Why clients do not “just appear” and what it means to extend the invitation with clarity⦁ The mindset shifts therapists often need around visibility, receiving, and money⦁ Therapy vs coaching: how to add coaching ethically and confidently⦁ Human Design in business (Projector vs Manifestor dynamics, energy, rest, and leadership)⦁ Delegation that actually supports revenue and avoids common early hiring mistakes⦁ How AI can support coaches with niche clarity, marketing plans, content, emails, webinars, and even sales call audits⦁ Building a business model that supports freedom, motherhood, and real lifeIf you’re a therapist, coach, or wellness professional who wants aligned growth, nervous system-safe marketing, and systems that support your work (instead of draining you), this episode is a grounded place to start.I trained in the official MBSR lineage at Brown University, continuing the work of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the original MBSR program at UMass Medical Center. And now I’m bringing this transformative framework to women navigating divorce, separation, heartbreak, and reinvention.🧡 JOIN THE UPCOMING MBSR GROUPMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Women Navigating Separation, Divorce & BreakupsWhere neuroscience meets self-compassion to help you regulate, rebuild, and rise.📅 Starts late January🌐 Virtual (Florida-based, open to all women)If you're NOT navigating divorce but are interested in another MBSR group, send me a message on Instagram! I’m exploring a second February cohort.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.loom.life?igsh=ZHl3Nm1ibWd4dm1wFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19bKH1AGZ9/#TherapistToCoach #MindfulEntrepreneur #WomenInBusiness #MoneyMindset #HumanDesign