What happens when your body starts screaming what your mind refuses to hear?

This episode is one of the most personal ones yet. Lesley opens with the season she rarely talks about — her first solo summer as a mother of two, an overwhelmed nervous system, coping mechanisms she didn't yet have words for, and the moment a bag of spilled rice brought her to her knees.

From there she moves into the wide spectrum of dissociation — what it looks like to live entirely from the neck up, why high-functioning numbness is still numbness, and why the coping mechanisms you're most ashamed of were once the most brilliant parts of you.

She also tells the story of the camping trip — anxiety crashing in the middle of the wilderness, the place that was supposed to feel like sanctuary, being dismissed by the people she loved most, and the quiet shift that happened when she got home.

This episode closes with a guided somatic grounding practice. She is not sending you away with information. She is bringing you back into your body before you go.

In this episode:

· Operating from the neck up and the cost of disconnection

· The spectrum of dissociation — from dramatic to high-functioning

· Coping mechanisms as survival strategies — brilliant, not broken

· The body keeps score — trauma stored in tissue, not just memory

· The camping trip and the particular loneliness of being dismissed

· Talk therapy vs. somatic healing

· The July 19th breadcrumb — following the nudge that changed everything

· A guided grounding practice to bring you home

Something to sit with:

What breadcrumb have you been ignoring? What is your body trying to tell you that you haven't been willing to hear yet?

Come find me:

📩 hello@thekindredjourney.com

📖 Substack — thekindredjourney.substack.com

🎙 Spotify — The Kindred Journey

🎙 Apple Podcasts — The Kindred Journey

▶️ YouTube — youtube.com/@lesleyalberts-i7p

📷 Instagram — @lesley_the_kindred_journey

Interested in working together? Book a connection call:

tidycal.com/kindredjourney/connection

LEAVE A REVIEW

If this episode met you somewhere real, leaving a five star review helps more women find their way to this space — and that is part of the healing too.

Share this with the one woman in your life who has been pushing through, numbing out, or wondering why she feels anxious in places that should feel safe. Her body is not broken. It is just waiting for her to come home to it. 🤍

A NOTE ON THIS WORK

The Kindred Journey offers coaching, somatic practices, and educational content for personal growth and healing. Everything shared here is based on personal experience and is for informational and educational purposes only.

This is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult a qualified healthcare provider for any medical concerns. You are responsible for your own wellbeing — and you are capable of it.

The Kindred Journey

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