Deep Within with Marina Triner, The Compassionate Somatic Coach

If you didn't have a safe, present caregiver you could go to and simply be witnessed by, and your life carries a deep sense of void and loneliness, this episode is for you. I sat down with Dr. Maria-Elena Lukeides, a clinical psychologist and meditation teacher based in Sydney with nearly three decades of experience, to talk about how we can build that attunement now, as adults, and what it means to become a compassionate observer of our own distress. We explore why anxiety, overachieving, shutdown, and depression are often not separate problems but different faces of the same unattuned wound, why many of our parents couldn't attune to us even when they loved us, and why the goal isn't to get rid of how we feel but to grow our capacity to hold ourselves while we feel it. Dr. Maria-Elena also guides a short practice in the middle of our conversation that I found so deeply relaxing I almost fell asleep on my own podcast. Please don't do the practice while driving or doing anything that needs your full…

If you're stuck in the question of whether to stay or go, anxious, exhausted, and wondering why your partner isn't doing the work, this conversation is for you. I sat down with Becky Aste, trauma-informed marriage coach, somatic practitioner, CEO of I Do Breakthrough, and host of the Your Breakthrough Blueprint Podcast, who took her own marriage from the brink of divorce to thriving after a decade of trying every mainstream modality. Becky shares the story of the "chase and run" dance she and her husband were locked in, why ten years of talk therapy, books, and couples counseling gave her a lot of language but very little change, and what finally shifted when she started working from the body up. We talk about how to tell the difference between replay and reality when you're triggered, why you can change a relational dynamic even when your partner isn't on board, how to work with resentment, and why codependency may have an expiration date as an identity. Becky also walks through simple, practical tools you…

If you were the one in your family who saw the dysfunction clearly, named it, and then somehow ended up carrying all the shame for it, this episode is for you. I sat down with Dr. Deniz Ahmadinia, licensed clinical psychologist and trauma survivor, to talk about the scapegoat role: what it costs the person who sees clearly, and what it actually takes to take your power back. We get into how systems, whether a family, a workplace, a religion, or a government, use the same tactics to maintain control: gaslighting, invalidation, silencing, blame-shifting. Dr. Deniz walks through why it can take years, or a big life event like a divorce, before someone has enough safety to actually see their own family's dysfunction, and how chronic invalidation disconnects us from our own bodies and inner knowing. We also talk about the difference between a past wound and a present harm, why self-regulation alone isn't enough if you're regulating your way through ongoing mistreatment, and what it means to finally come home to…

Why do we keep ending up with people who hurt us, even when we swear it won't happen again? I sat down with Dr. Galit Atlas, renowned psychoanalyst, faculty member at NYU's Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis and at Columbia University, and author of the international bestseller Emotional Inheritance, to talk about exactly that. Her new book, Come Closer: Childhood Wounds, Adult Love and the Secrets of Emotional Intimacy, releases the same day this episode airs. We get into Freud's concept of repetition compulsion, why the familiar so often gets mistaken for safety, and why changing a pattern can feel like losing your own identity. Dr. Atlas introduces the different "children" that live inside all of us (the frightened child, the guilty child, the invisible child, and more) and how giving each of them a seat at the table is the real path to change. We also talk about self-abandonment, what it actually means to hold two people in mind during conflict, and why over-functioning is so often…

If you've ever felt completely stuck in a decision, ruminating on it for weeks or months, heartbroken and looping and exhausted, this episode is for you. I'm sharing something that has changed my life more than almost anything else I teach: the realization that when we feel that intensely stuck, it's rarely about the thing in front of us. It's about something much older. I tell the story of the night I finally knew my marriage was over, sick with Covid, completely undefended, and how a simple parts work practice cracked open a truth I hadn't let myself see: my stuckness wasn't about my marriage at all. It was a much older fear, one that started long before I ever met my husband. I walk you through the concept, the process, and why understanding this can bring you so much relief the next time you feel trapped in your own mind. You are not broken for feeling this stuck. There is a reason, and it is findable. Join Safe to Connect: https://marinatriner.com/safe-to-connect WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self-…

Some of the deepest wounds are the ones you can't quite point to. Not a big, dramatic event, just an absence, an emptiness, a loneliness that never fully goes away. I sat down with Morgan Pommells, who specializes in helping adult children of emotionally immature parents, to finally put language to something so many of us have felt but couldn't name. We get into what emotional immaturity actually is (and why it's not the same as narcissism), why this kind of wounding is so easy to dismiss as "not that bad," and how it shows up decades later as a false, performative self, chronic overfunctioning, and a deep fear of asking for support. Morgan also walks through how this pattern replays in romantic relationships, what enmeshment versus true differentiation looks like, and what it actually takes to start seeing yourself through your own eyes instead of your parents'. If you've ever felt like you had "a good enough childhood" but something still feels off, this conversation is going to land. Connect with Morgan:…

What if the food you ate today already decided how much conflict you can handle? I sat down with Luis Mojica, Somatic Educator, Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and author of Food Therapy, to talk about something most of us have never connected: the direct link between what we eat and how safe or threatened our nervous system feels. We get into his framework of food as stimulant, depressant, or balancer, and how understanding that shift can change your relationship to stress entirely. From there, the conversation opens into something even bigger: conflict. Luis shares his own story of growing up in an intersex body and facing years of bullying and harassment, and how that experience shaped his life's work in helping people move through disagreement and division without shutting down or attacking. We talk about "over couplings," the difference between being triggered and actually being unsafe, and practical tools for staying present in conflict, whether it's with a partner, a family member, or someone on the…

Two years ago I went through what I can only describe as a dark night of the soul. Divorce, financial loss, estrangement, war in the countries I am from, and the slow drifting of family. And recently — something has shifted. A profound sense of aliveness has returned to me that I had not felt in a very long time. In this episode I want to talk honestly about how I got here, because for those of you with complex trauma and dysfunctional family dynamics, this is not a story of one day everything was fine. It is a story of layers dying, of shame being felt all the way through, of co-regulation, somatic resources, and the moment I decided I would not allow my childhood to rob me of my life. I also share what I have been doing practically — dancing, nature, breath, sound and movement — and why aliveness is not something you can force, but something you come back to through the body. WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support: https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1…

If you've ever sat across from someone you care about and felt your body go on high alert, unsure whether you're in danger or just remembering what danger used to feel like, this conversation is for you. I sat down with Amy Fiedler, Certified Trauma Support Specialist and relationship educator who has helped more than 2,000 clients worldwide understand how past trauma continues to shape their relationships, to talk about hypervigilance: how to recognize it, how to work with it, and how to finally tell the difference between an old wound and a present-day reality. Amy and I get into how relational trauma quietly pulls us toward what's familiar instead of what's good for us, how to identify the values that can actually guide our choices, and what it really takes, beyond a quick "I'm sorry," to repair trust after rupture. This one is honest, practical, and full of permission for anyone who's ever been told they're too much. Connect with Amy: https://amyfiedler.com/ https://www.instagram.com/amythelifecoach/…

In this episode I sit down with Colette Fehr, licensed psychotherapist, couples therapist, and author of The Cost of Quiet: How to Have the Hard Conversations That Create Secure, Lasting Love, whose 2025 TEDx talk Secrets of a Couples Therapist was selected as a TED Editors' Pick and whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Oprah Daily, and The Wall Street Journal. Colette makes such a compelling case for why avoiding conflict is not keeping the peace — it is costing us our relationships, our sense of self, and our emotional freedom. We talk about the neurobiological reason hard conversations feel so dangerous, what a healthy apology actually sounds like, how to identify your needs when you have spent years not having any, and how to soothe your inner child before you ever say a word to someone else. This conversation is going to change the way you think about conflict — and I think you are going to feel that shift in your body as you listen. Connect with Colette: www.colettejanefehr.com…

Every once in a while you speak to someone whose story just shakes you to the core. Brian Pennie is a former heroin addict turned doctor of neuroscience and psychology, a lecturer at Trinity College Dublin, an author, an award-winning TV presenter, and the founder of Change is Possible. He lost 15 years of his life to addiction before a near-death seizure became the moment everything shifted — and what followed was one of the most profound awakenings I have heard anyone describe. In this conversation we talk about surrender, the fear of anxiety versus anxiety itself, breathwork as a daily practice, the paradox of connection, and what it means to find your other self through the greatest challenges of your life. I recorded this intro with an open heart and I think you will feel that as you listen. Connect with Brian: http://www.brianpennie.com https://www.instagram.com/brianpennie78/ https://www.youtube.com/@brianpenniephd1073 WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:…

In this episode I sit down with Wendy Behary, one of the world's leading experts on narcissism with over 30 years of experience, founder of The Cognitive Therapy Center of New Jersey, and author of the international bestseller Disarming the Narcissist, selected by Oprah Daily as one of the top books on the subject and now in its third edition translated into 18 languages. Wendy cuts through the myths that flood the internet around narcissism, explains the real difference between narcissistic traits and narcissistic personality disorder, and shares what she has learned from three decades of sitting in the room with both narcissists and the people who love them. We talk about when to stay, when to leave, what healing actually looks like for a narcissist, how to build your healthy adult self, and how to regulate your nervous system when you are living in close proximity to someone deeply volatile. This is one of the most clear, grounded, and genuinely rare conversations I have had on this topic,and I learned an…

In this episode I sit down with Dave Nelson, author of The Tao of Flow and performance coach to C-suite executives at Fortune 500 companies, whose work sits at the intersection of ancient Taoist wisdom, modern neuroscience, and elite performance science. Dave shares his own burnout story — the migraines, the exploding phone, the 2500 staff and the moment his body finally said enough — and we talk about what it actually means to balance the yin and the yang in your life, why most people never experience flow state even once, and how being regulated in the nervous system is the real foundation of high performance. We also get into breathwork, meditation, the magic of doing nothing, and why playfulness is not a luxury but a biological necessity. This one surprised me in the best way — deeply practical, honest, and full of things I needed to hear. Connect with Dave: https://taoofflow.ai/ Instagram.com/davenelson.official WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:…

In this episode I sit down with Lauren Ohayon, creator of the Restore Your Core method and a renowned yoga and Pilates instructor with over 25 years of experience who has helped more than 10,000 women reconnect with their pelvic floor and core when nothing else worked. We talk about why the pelvic floor is so much more than what we have been taught, why Kegels are not the answer, what completing a stress cycle actually means and why it matters, and how so many women are empowered and yet completely disconnected from their own pleasure and sensation. Lauren also busts some of the biggest myths around orgasms, vibrators, and what a healthy pelvic floor actually feels like — and shares one of the most grounding personal stories I have heard on this podcast. This one is rich, funny, deeply educational, and long overdue. Connect with Lauren: https://restoreyourcore.com/ www.instgram.com/thelaurenohayon WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:…

In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Chalfant, holistic therapist, life coach, and creator of The Adult Chair model, whose podcast has surpassed 11 million downloads and whose work has helped thousands of people heal codependency, emotional wounds, and relationship patterns at the root. Michelle shares her five-pillar methodology for living as a healthy adult — covering how to own your reality, build self-compassion, feel your emotions, work your triggers, and set boundaries that actually stick — and we go deep on narcissism, codependency, why we keep attracting the same people, and what it actually takes to change the signal we're putting out. She also shares practical tools, free resources, and one of the funniest and most grounding stories I have heard in a long time. This one is rich, practical, and full of permission to do this work in a way that actually makes sense. Connect with Michelle: https://www.theadultchair.com/ https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant Free Course:…

In this episode I want to talk about something that sits at the heart of so much relational pain for complex trauma survivors — needs. Specifically, why the needs we crave the most are usually the ones that were never met in childhood, why that creates a desperateness that can push people away, and how we end up in a cycle of repressing our needs until we finally explode. I share the distinction that has changed everything for me and for my clients: the difference between expectations and standards, and why one comes from a wounded child place and the other comes from a grounded, secure sense of self. This one is practical, personal, and I think it is going to land somewhere deep. WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcZM5s9c2OjOLwoGMI5jE6rh_JAzjN2d_vCtuVe7e3pVGxw/viewform DOWNLOAD FOR FREE: Stay or Go: 5 Clarity Questions to Reconnect with Your Inner…

For a long time I believed that healing would eventually land me somewhere close to permanent bliss — a place where I stopped getting triggered, stopped struggling, stopped feeling the weight of everything I was carrying. In this episode I want to talk honestly about why that idea kept me confused, and what I now understand the real point of healing actually is. I share what has been shifting for me lately — after my marriage ended, after estrangement, after every coping mechanism I had quietly collapsed — and the concept that has become the heart of everything I do with my clients: disconfirming experiences. What it means to take your deepest wound from childhood and begin to receive the opposite of it in real life. Not just through inner work, but through living. WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcZM5s9c2OjOLwoGMI5jE6rh_JAzjN2d_vCtuVe7e3pVGxw/viewform…

In this episode I sit down with Sabrina Bendory, bestselling author and relationship coach whose work has reached tens of millions of people, to talk about something so many of us know intimately — the cycle of chasing the ones who don't choose us, while pushing away the ones who do. Sabrina shares her own decade of toxic relationship patterns, dating narcissists and emotionally unavailable men, and exactly what it took to finally break free — including what she calls her "Summer of Me," the moment everything changed. We talk about where the void actually comes from, what detachment really means, how approval addiction keeps us stuck, and what it feels like in your body when a relationship is finally healthy. This one is raw, honest, and deeply practical — and I think it is going to meet a lot of you exactly where you are. Connect with Sabrina: sabrinabendory.com www.instagram.com/sabrinabendory Sabrina's book: https://amzn.to/4cCcKZp WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App…

What does it actually look like to choose yourself — not as a way of closing off from love, but as the very foundation that makes real love possible? In this conversation, I sit down with Dr. Rachel Greenberg, a psychologist and relationship expert who specialises in attachment healing, authentic connection, and embodied intimacy, helping individuals and couples create relationships rooted in emotional honesty and deep relational repair. We talk about the patterns that keep us stuck, what secure attachment to yourself and others really means in practice, what it looks like to be truly met in a relationship, and why the goal was never to stop needing connection — it was always to become someone who knows her needs matter. This one got personal. I shared one of my own triggers and got some of the most honest, grounded perspective I've been given. I think you're going to feel that as you listen. Connect with Dr. Rachel Greenberg: theworkwithdrrachel.com www.instagram.com/heydrrachel WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening…

This one really blew my mind — and I was asking questions I'm genuinely grappling with myself. Kristen Schwartz is a certified trauma recovery coach, author of The Healed Empath, and founder of Realized Empath — a wellness community supporting highly sensitive people and empaths since 2016. Kristen and I dig into how to tell the difference between a trauma response and your highly sensitive nature, why labelling yourself an empath can sometimes mask unresolved trauma, what to actually do with emotions you absorb from other people, and why the next step in the empath journey is taking full responsibility for your own inner state. Connect with Kristen: www.realizedempath.com www.instagram.com/realizedempath WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcZM5s9c2OjOLwoGMI5jE6rh_JAzjN2d_vCtuVe7e3pVGxw/viewform DOWNLOAD FOR FREE: Stay or Go: 5 Clarity Questions to…

One of the most confusing parts of the healing journey is not knowing whether what you're feeling is a trauma response or the discomfort of actually growing. I've been teaching about this in my group program and I wanted to bring it here too — because getting this wrong is one of the biggest ways we stay stuck. I walk through what a trauma response actually feels like in the body, what a dis-confirming experience is and why it's so important, the five F's of nervous system response, and the three options I always give my clients when it comes to relational triggers. This one is practical, grounded, and something I wish someone had taught me a long time ago. Join Safe to Connect: https://marinayt.com/safe-to-connect WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcZM5s9c2OjOLwoGMI5jE6rh_JAzjN2d_vCtuVe7e3pVGxw/viewform DOWNLOAD FOR FREE: Stay or Go: 5 Clarity Questions…

I was so excited for this one, and Nicole did not disappoint. Dr. Nicole LePera, the Holistic Psychologist, trained at Cornell University and the New School for Social Research, is the founder of SelfHealers Circle and the author of three books including the number one New York Times bestseller How to Do the Work. In this conversation, Nicole and I go deep into covert narcissism, how growing up with emotional unavailability shapes every relationship that follows, what re-parenting actually looks like in the body, and why healing is never a straight line from A to B. I had so many personal realisations listening back to this one, about my own relational blueprint, my expectations, and how narcissism in my family has quietly shaped how I show up with others. Connect with Nicole: theholisticpsychologist.com www.instagram.com/the.holistic.psychologist WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me:…

This one opened my heart wide open, and I cried with a friend straight after recording it. Chelsea Horton is a somatic coach, educator, and founder of Healing Embodied, where she trains wellness professionals to integrate somatics, creativity, and emotional healing into their work. A former worship leader with a master's in Dance and Movement Therapy, Chelsea went from the most devoted Christian you'd ever meet, engaged to her gay best friend for Jesus, to building a life and practice rooted entirely in embodied truth. Together we explore religious trauma, good girl programming, what embodiment actually means in daily life, and why your emotions are not a problem to solve but raw material for creation. Connect with Chelsea: www.healingembodied.com/connect https://www.instagram.com/healing.embodied WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me:…

If you've ever wondered why you keep ending up in the same relationship with a different person, this episode is for you. I sit down with Sarah Baldwin — Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, member of the world-renowned Polyvagal Theory training team, and one of the most respected voices in trauma resolution working today — and together we go deep into parts work, attachment patterns, and why your nervous system is the one choosing your relationships until you do this work. Sarah shares her own extraordinary healing journey with breathtaking honesty, and this conversation genuinely felt like listening to a poem. Connect with Sarah: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbcoaching/ Free Workbook: https://programs.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/how-to-gain-control-over-how-you-feel-workbook Navigating Your Nervous System Waitlist: https://programs.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/navigating-your-nervous-system-waitlist https://www.sarahbaldwincoaching.com/ WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App…

If you've ever felt completely out of control in a relationship — knowing it's wrong, unable to leave, ashamed of yourself for staying — this conversation is going to make you feel far less alone. Marina sits down with Andrea Ashley, host of Adult Child and The Shitshow podcast, who grew up in an alcoholic home, spent her teens in and out of rehabs, got sober at 19, and still found herself at rock bottom at 28 — trapped in trauma bonds she didn't yet have words for. Andrea shares the story she's never fully told before: the relationship that pulled her back in at her most under-resourced, the friendship betrayal that happened at the worst possible moment, and what it actually took to finally get out. This one is raw, real, and deeply human. Connect with Andrea: https://www.instagram.com/adultchildpod/ https://www.adultchildpodcast.com/ WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me:…

If you grew up being the good girl — performing, people pleasing, shrinking yourself to stay safe and loved — this conversation is going to crack something open. Marina sits down with Luci Lampe, trauma-informed sex and relationship coach, four-time author, and award-winning singer-songwriter whose work has been featured in Forbes, the Huffington Post, CBS and Fox. Luci went from pastor's daughter and evangelical good girl to one of the most embodied, unapologetic voices in erotic liberation and spiritual reclamation — and together we trace exactly how that unravelling happened, what shame actually feels like in the body, and what it takes to stop performing and start living from your whole self. Connect with Luci: http://lucilampeofficial.com www.instagram.com/lucilampe https://luci-lampe.mykajabi.com/Secure WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me:…

If you look functional on the outside but feel like you're running on survival mode underneath, this conversation was made for you. I sit down with Lauren Auer — trauma therapist, somatic practitioner, and the person behind the wildly popular Instagram @yourtraumatherapist_ — whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, and Time. Lauren specialises in EMDR, Brainspotting, IFS, and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy, and she has a rare gift for making the most complex nervous system science feel like a conversation with a friend. Together we unpack what complex trauma actually looks like in high-functioning people, why your body is keeping score even when your mind insists everything is fine, and what healing really involves beyond just talking about it. Connect with Lauren: www.instagram.com/YourTraumaTherapist_ steadfastcounseling.com https://substack.com/@yourtraumatherapist WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu…

If you're the person who always steps in when someone is struggling — who manages the energy in the room, talks people down, absorbs what others can't hold — this episode is going to name something you may never have had words for. Over-responsibility isn't about taking on too many tasks. It's the belief, wired in from childhood, that other people's emotional states are yours to fix. I share a personal story about my mum that cracked open a pattern I've been carrying my whole life, and break down what it actually costs you — and what it looks like to finally put it down.The Unburdened Heart Program: https://marinayt.com/the-unburdened-heart WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcZM5s9c2OjOLwoGMI5jE6rh_JAzjN2d_vCtuVe7e3pVGxw/viewform DOWNLOAD FOR FREE: Stay or Go: 5 Clarity Questions to Reconnect with Your Inner Knowing: https://marinayt.com/stay-or-go-guide…

If you're a woman over 35 and you've been feeling more triggered, more exhausted, less tolerant of the things you used to just push through — this episode is going to change how you understand yourself. I'm joined by Natasha Zajmalowskii, a naturopathic doctor and Menopause Society certified practitioner with over 24 years of clinical experience, and this conversation genuinely blew my mind. We talk about what's actually happening in your brain and nervous system during perimenopause and menopause — and why it's not falling apart, it's transforming. We go deep on the hormonal roots of emotional dysregulation, why your window of tolerance narrows so dramatically, and what it means that your fawning response is finally breaking down. We talk about familiar safety versus embodied safety, why your old trauma is surfacing so intensely right now, and what "issues in your tissues" actually means at a physiological level. Natasha also shares her framework called Metamorphosis — the idea that perimenopause is the…

There's a kind of safety that doesn't actually feel safe — and most of us have been living inside it our whole lives. In this episode, I'm sharing something I've been sitting with for a while. Something personal and a little uncomfortable to say out loud: that even as someone who teaches nervous system healing, I spent years outsourcing my sense of safety to things outside myself — my marriage, my business, my Instagram following, my sense of being "put together." And when all of it fell apart at once, I had to finally learn the difference between familiar safety and embodied safety. Familiar safety is predictable. It's the jungle where you know exactly where the tiger hides. It's people-pleasing, perfectionism, staying small, tolerating relationships where you never feel chosen — not because it feels good, but because at least you know the terrain. Your nervous system has mapped every inch of it. And that map feels like control. Embodied safety is something else entirely. It's not a permanent state of calm.…

If you fixate on people, partners, work, or goals — if something gets under your skin and won't let go — this episode is for you. What most people call desperation or clinginess is actually your nervous system trying to finish something it never got to complete. In this episode, I'm getting personal about my own patterns with fixation, codependency, and disorganised attachment — and I'm breaking down exactly what's happening in your body and your inner child when you zero in on someone or something with that aching, urgent need. We talk about why uncertainty feels so unbearable when you've grown up in an environment that was never truly safe. Why anxious attachment pulls you toward people, and avoidant attachment pulls you toward goals. And what it actually means to complete the cycle — not by finally getting the love you were chasing, but by learning to meet that child part of you where she actually is. This isn't about willpower or mindset. It's about understanding that the part of you that fixates isn't…

Shame is one of the most powerful and misunderstood forces shaping our lives. In this deeply insightful conversation, I sit down with author, counselor, and teacher David Bedrick to explore what it truly means to “unshame” ourselves. Rather than seeing our struggles as problems to fix, David invites us to view them as doorways into deeper self-awareness, compassion, and connection. We talk about how shame forms in childhood, why traditional self-improvement approaches often reinforce it, and how embodied awareness can help us transform suffering into meaningful growth. David shares his personal journey, the philosophy behind his work at the Santa Fe Institute for Shame-based Studies, and practical reflections on how we can begin to relate differently to our inner critic, our pain, and the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to hide. This episode is a gentle but powerful reminder that healing doesn’t come from becoming someone new. It comes from learning to meet ourselves — exactly as we are — with curiosity,…

In this deeply vulnerable solo episode, I share the emotional reality of what it feels like to be misunderstood, especially when you are doing deep healing work and your choices no longer make sense to others. This conversation explores the grief that arises when you begin to live more truthfully, and the nervous system responses that get activated when connection feels threatened. I speak about the internal conflict between wanting to be seen and wanting to protect yourself, and how many of us learned early in life that safety came from adapting, explaining, or shrinking. As those old strategies start to fall away, it can feel disorienting and lonely — but it is also where a new level of self-trust begins to emerge. We explore what it means to stay present with your emotions instead of abandoning yourself for approval, how misunderstanding can trigger deep attachment wounds, and why learning to hold yourself with compassion is one of the most powerful steps in healing. This episode is an invitation to…

In this deeply honest episode, I share the emotional turning point that came when I realised how much of my life had been shaped by the unconscious need to be chosen. Chosen in love. Chosen in friendships. Chosen in work. Beneath it all was a nervous system wired for survival, constantly scanning for signs of rejection and trying to secure safety through approval. I talk about the grief of recognising how much energy goes into performing, proving, and striving to be enough — and the quiet but powerful shift that begins when you stop fighting for your worth. This episode explores what it feels like to release the old identity built around pleasing and achieving, and how real healing begins when you start choosing yourself, even when it feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar. We explore the somatic layers of this pattern, the ancestral echoes of abandonment and conditional love, and the relief that comes when you allow yourself to soften into your own presence. This is a conversation about self-trust, emotional…

For most of my life, I carried a deep, visceral belief in my body that I wasn’t safe without a man. It wasn’t a logical thought — it was a felt sense in my nervous system. When my marriage ended, I didn’t just feel sad. I felt like I was going to die. In this deeply personal episode, I share the generational patterns of codependence I witnessed in the women in my family, how those patterns shaped my nervous system, and the surprising way my healing began. It wasn’t through pushing harder, doing more personal development, or becoming more independent in the way I thought it would be. It came through burnout, surrender, and learning how to finally take care of myself. I talk about the survival mode many of us live in, the grief that comes with letting go of an identity built on striving and pushing, and the profound freedom that comes from meeting your own needs instead of expecting someone else to rescue you. If you’ve ever felt desperate for a relationship, clung to someone for safety, or feared being alone,…

There’s so much content out there about healing childhood trauma. And I’m here to tell you, from my heart to yours — it’s a bitch. It’s messy. It’s long. It’s layered. And even those of us who teach this work still cry, still get triggered, and still move through it in real time. In this episode, I share the four stages of healing that I teach my clients — and how they directly mirror what secure attachment in childhood was supposed to provide. Because the truth is, most of us didn’t get what we needed. And now we get to learn how to offer that to ourselves. We explore reconnecting to sensations when you’ve been dissociated for years, what nervous system regulation actually means (and why so much of what’s said online misses the point), how to feel emotions safely instead of suppressing them, how to recognize and meet your needs without shame, and why desire is often the most terrifying and liberating layer of all. This is not a quick fix episode. This is an honest one. Healing is not about becoming calm and…

In this heartfelt episode, I open up about two painful breakups and the unexpected healing that came from allowing myself to be witnessed in my most vulnerable moments. I explore the idea of disconfirming experiences — moments where the body learns safety in ways it never has before — and why they are so essential for healing childhood wounds, especially when it comes to emotions, expression, and receiving care. Through personal stories and client examples, I unpack how our nervous systems hold onto the past, how somatic work can gently begin to shift those deep patterns, and why going slow, honoring resistance, and cultivating safe relationships is the key to emotional freedom. If you've ever wanted to cry but felt like you couldn’t, or longed to be seen but feared it was too much — this episode will help you understand why and what to do next. ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me:…

In this episode, I sit down with Kate Turner—a powerhouse coach with 15 years of experience in Sales and Technology. We explore her journey through the highs and lows of working in fast-paced tech environments, fundraising rounds, executive roles, and the personal transformation that came from burning out while "doing everything right." Kate shares how she rebuilt her life and career from a place of deeper alignment, integrating nervous system awareness, boundaries, and intentional choices that serve her body and her values. If you’ve ever found yourself chasing success while losing yourself in the process, this conversation is a must-listen. We dive into the difference between achievement and fulfillment, why the stories we tell ourselves about productivity are often rooted in fear, and how to begin untangling your identity from your career. This episode will help you pause, reflect, and ask: what does success really mean to me? Connect with Kate: www.linkedin.com/in/kateturner9…

In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of how my lifelong drive to be “the good girl” ruled my relationships, my nervous system, and even my sense of self. For most of my life, I played by the rules—always saying the right thing, doing the right thing, living up to everyone else’s expectations. But it wasn’t until I unexpectedly fell in love with someone society might label as "the wrong person" that everything cracked open. What followed was the most transformative, heart-opening journey of my life—one that taught me how to reclaim my truth, my voice, and the courage to live by my own rules. This story isn’t just about love—it’s about breaking generational patterns, healing the abandonment wound, and learning how to finally feel safe being your full, complex, imperfect self. If you’ve ever felt like you couldn’t mess up, couldn’t ask for what you need, or couldn’t be too much, this episode is for you. https://marinayt.com/the-unburdened-heart Connect with me: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1…

Have you ever loved someone so deeply that it made no logical sense—and yet, your heart wouldn’t let go? In this vulnerable solo episode, I share the story of an unexpected connection with someone living on the street, the whirlwind that followed, and the profound truths I learned about desire, acceptance, and self-abandonment. This isn’t a story about romance—it’s a story about listening to your body when your mind is screaming “this doesn’t make sense,” about releasing the fight against your own emotions, and about discovering that letting go doesn’t mean shutting off your longing, but holding it with tenderness. If you've ever felt stuck in love, wrestled with desire, or judged yourself for wanting what doesn't seem rational—this conversation is for you. Your healing begins with permission. Your peace begins with acceptance. WORK WITH ME 1:1: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me:…

In this deeply personal episode, I open up about the exhausting pattern of constantly scanning for safety—checking for signs of rejection, withdrawal, or disconnection—in our relationships, work, and daily life. I share the story of how I internalized this hypervigilance from a loving but emotionally inconsistent parent, and how it shaped my nervous system and sense of safety. This episode is not about blaming—it’s about naming the root and finding the path home. If you’ve ever found yourself waiting for the other shoe to drop, reading too deeply into someone’s silence, or feeling numb when life is actually going well... you’re not alone. This is survival mode—and there is another way. You’ll hear how I’ve begun softening this pattern through nervous system work, how it shows up in business and relationships, and what it actually means to stop living from the outside in. This is your reminder: you’re not too sensitive or broken. You’ve adapted. And now you get to choose something new.…

In this episode, I take you deep into a subject many of us are unconsciously living: emotional suppression. I share how years of censoring my emotions—especially excitement, joy, and sadness—impacted my nervous system, my digestion, and most of all, my relationships. This conversation isn’t just about understanding trauma; it’s about reclaiming the joy and vitality that’s been shut down for years. I walk you through my own story of softening the inner rigidity, allowing myself to be witnessed in my most vulnerable states, and how that changed everything—from connection to my health to my sense of self. We explore what emotional neglect really looks like (even in homes that looked “functional”), why we’ve learned to fake connection, and how returning to authenticity and emotional safety is at the heart of true healing. If you’re ready to take off the mask and create a life that feels like home—you’re not alone. https://marinayt.com/the-unburdened-heart Connect with me: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with…

What if your anxious attachment wasn’t something to fix—but a survival response to be understood and healed? In this powerful conversation, I’m joined by trauma-informed somatic coach Valerie Rubin to explore the deeper roots of anxious attachment and why nervous system regulation—not mindset work alone—is the missing piece for so many. Valerie shares her own journey from anxiety and people-pleasing to emotional safety and secure connection, as well as the body-based tools she now uses to support clients in transforming their relationship patterns. We talk about how anxious attachment shows up in everyday life, how to navigate dating and relationships when you fear abandonment, and why true healing starts by coming home to your body. Whether you're stuck in anxious loops, craving a more secure love, or feeling exhausted by chasing validation—this episode offers a hopeful, grounded path forward. Connect with Valerie: https://www.valrubin.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healwithval/?hl=en Facebook:…

In this raw and honest episode, I share a moment of deep emotional truth. I’m recording not from a polished, perfect place—but from the messy, moody middle. The part where you feel like you should have it all together but deep down, you're exhausted from pretending. If you’ve ever been the one who’s always “good,” always responsible, always the one holding everyone and everything—this episode is for you. I open up about the unraveling that comes when your safety has been built around external validation and perfectionism. When the marriage, friendships, career, and identity you cling to start falling away, what’s left? You. Just you. And it’s in that raw space that true ease begins. We talk about nervous system healing, inner child patterns, and the deep grief of being “good” for too long. And I invite you into softness, into emotional honesty, into being witnessed—even when it feels like too much. Because you’re not too much. And you don’t have to hold it all alone anymore. JOIN THE EASE MASTERCLASS ON JAN…

In this episode is a love letter to anyone who feels like life is just… a lot. I’m sharing the real, raw truth of what 2025 looked like for me—heartbreak, financial struggle, estrangement, and navigating grief from multiple angles. But more than that, I’m sharing the deeper story underneath it all: the internal programming that made it feel like life had to be hard, and the powerful shift I’ve been making toward ease. If your nervous system has been wired to anticipate threat, if “good” has always equaled “difficult,” or if you’re exhausted from always fighting for the life you want—this episode is for you. I’m unpacking the ancestral roots of over-functioning, the illusion that suffering equals worthiness, and what it means to rewire your body toward softness, ease, and presence. We talk about nervous system safety, letting go of “doing it right,” and learning to be with what is—mess and all. JOIN THE EASE MASTERCLASS ON JAN 21st: https://marinayt.com/ease-masterclass Connect with me: ❥Softening into self-…

What does it mean to be erotically alive—and how do we reclaim that connection after trauma, disconnection, or years of shutting down? In this intimate and illuminating conversation, I’m joined by trauma-informed somatic educator and Netflix’s Sex, Love & goop expert Darshana Avila. Together, we unpack the deeper meaning of erotic aliveness, the body as a gateway to truth, and how our capacity for pleasure and power is often buried beneath layers of cultural conditioning and trauma. We explore the role of somatic safety in true intimacy, what it means to center the body over the mind in healing work, and how you can begin to feel more at home within yourself again. Darshana shares potent reflections from her own life, as well as embodied tools you can begin practicing now to move from shutdown to sensation, from dissociation to desire. This episode is a powerful reminder: your pleasure is not frivolous—it’s foundational. And reclaiming it is a radical, healing act. Watch the video here:…

In this solo episode, I open up about the unexpected connection between being a deep feeler and living life in performance mode. From my personal story of burnout and relationship misalignment to the experiences of my clients, I unpack how sensitivity, rejection, and the need for deep connection can drive us to overwork, people-please, and push ourselves beyond our limits. If you're a high-achieving, highly sensitive person who still feels unfulfilled no matter how much you accomplish — this episode is for you. Together, we explore what it really means to meet your core needs, and how aligning with your true essence creates more success, ease, and joy. Connect with me: ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWcZM5s9c2OjOLwoGMI5jE6rh_JAzjN2d_vCtuVe7e3pVGxw/viewform ❥❥❥Stay or Go Course: ⁠https://marinayt.com/stay-or-go⁠ ❥❥❥❥ FREE RESOURCE: a step-by-step process of working with…

This week, I did something that felt incredibly vulnerable. I voiced a desire—openly, bravely—and then had to sit in the discomfort of waiting. That space between expression and response cracked me wide open. In this solo episode, I take you inside that raw experience and reflect on how I’ve spent most of my life suppressing my desires because they never felt safe to have. I explore how childhood messaging shaped my relationship with longing, why desire became tangled with shame, and how so many of us were taught that being “good” meant not needing anything. I share what it’s taken for me to slowly reclaim the right to want, to feel, to long for more without fear of rejection. We’ll talk about the difference between desire and control, the nervous system’s response to not being met, and how learning to sit in our longing—without shrinking or numbing—can be the most liberating act of self-love. This is an intimate conversation about emotional maturity, the pain of unmet needs, and the sacredness of choosing…

This was the hardest year of my life. I found myself in the deepest freeze — emotionally, physically, and spiritually. After walking away from a relationship I once thought was my forever, I faced the terrifying realization that I had been outsourcing my safety for most of my life. Safety in men. Safety in money. Safety in pretending everything was fine. In this solo episode, I walk you through the unraveling. The grief, the helplessness, the heartbreak. And the surprising emotion that finally cracked me open and pulled me out of freeze: anger. Not rage — but the deep, righteous anger that reminded me I deserve more. This isn’t a “bounce back” story. It’s a remembering. If you’ve ever felt stuck in clinging energy, desperate for love, money, or a way out — I hope this helps you feel seen. I hope it helps you come back to yourself. ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App Support:https://marina-yt.mykajabi.com/offers/PAWQhZHu ❥❥1:1 Coaching with me:…

In this episode, I’m joined by world-renowned trauma expert Dr. Diane Poole Heller for a profound conversation on attachment wounds, healing relational trauma, and the path back to secure connection. Diane shares insights from decades of work in Somatic Experiencing and her DARe™ model, helping us understand why so many of us feel unsafe in intimacy—and what we can do about it. We explore the origins of avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized attachment patterns, how early ruptures shape adult relationships, and why nervous system regulation is key to healing. Diane brings a grounded, compassionate perspective to the messy, tender process of becoming securely attached, whether you're in a relationship or not. This conversation is full of lightbulb moments, practical takeaways, and gentle reminders that secure connection is not just possible—it’s our birthright. Connect with Diane: www.traumasolutions.com https://www.instagram.com/traumaattachmenttraining/ ❥Softening into self- 3 month 1:1 with Whats App…