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What does it really mean to live from a place of joy? And why does it feel so hard to access in the middle of everyday life?

In this heartfelt and laughter-filled episode of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim and Louise sit down with transformational success coach and speaker Heather Vickery to explore the power of joy, midlife identity shifts, Human Design, and the radical permission to choose yourself.

Together, we unpack:

• How to reclaim joy as a daily practice, not just a fleeting moment
• What Human Design reveals about burnout, performance, and energy misalignment
• Why midlife is actually a portal to deeper freedom (hello, Chiron return!)
• The truth about self-trust and how to stop outsourcing your worth
• Compassionate self-touch as a tool for nervous system healing and embodiment
• Why representation, fringe-living, and showing up as you are matter more than ever

Whether you’re trying to find your rhythm, craving rest, or simply someone ready to feel more like yourself again, this conversation is a warm invitation home.

Key Moments:

00:00 Intro: Welcome to The Empowered and Embodied Show

02:08 Meet Heather Vickery + Embodied Joy as a Set Point

06:50 Choosing Joy Instead of Waiting for It

09:27 Listening to Your Intuition & Midlife Downloads

10:53 The Chiron Return & Zero F*cks Fifties

15:14 What Embodied Joy Looks Like on a Regular Tuesday

23:16 Trusting Yourself Enough to Take the Leap

26:31 How Do We Help People Know They Have Magic?

30:22 The Difference Between Being Awake vs. Performing

34:22 Compassionate Self-Touch

38:57 There’s No Wrong Way to Love Yourself

40:34 The Power of Permission, Play, and Legos

44:26 Self-Compassion, Even When It Feels Unsafe

45:18 Final Takeaways: Don’t Wait for Joy. Create It

49:41 Wrap-Up: You Are Not Alone on the Fringe

Connect with Heather Vickery:

🌐 Website: https://vickeryandco.com

🎙 Podcast: Was It Chance?

🗓 Free Office Hours: Tuesdays at 12pm CT – Register via her site

📧 Substack: https://braveheathervickery.substack.com/

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to https://feministpodcasterscollective.com to explore everything we have to offer.

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Ever have one of those weeks where everything feels just slightly (or wildly) off, even though you’re doing all the “right” things?

In episode 164 of The Empowered & Embodied Show, Kim and Louise unpack what it means to feel out of sync and how to gently find your way back to yourself. From discussing the difference between routine and rhythm, to navigating energetic overwhelm and foggy seasons, this episode is a compassionate invitation to slow down, listen inward, and experiment your way back into alignment.

They explore what disconnection feels like (hint: not always dramatic, but often disorienting), and share personal practices for movement, somatics, nature connection, and redefining progress—not as productivity, but as presence.

This one’s for anyone who’s ever asked: Why do I feel off when nothing’s technically wrong?

"Being can be a destination. I’m getting myself to a place where I can just be." - Kim Romain

"Let’s stop measuring progress by ladders and start measuring it by how we feel." - Louise Neil

Key Takeaways:

• The difference between routine and rhythm
• How to recognize subtle signs of disconnection
• Why the world feels so loud and what to do when you can't hear yourself
• The power of movement, sound, and nature in finding your way back
• Redefining “enough” and giving yourself permission to just be

Key Moments:

[00:00] Welcome + Episode intro

[01:55] Weekly check-in: “Fugged up” and frenzied energy

[04:10] Big energy, introvert fatigue, and the need to come back to self

[07:40] The realization: I need rhythm, not just routine

[11:14] What rhythm feels like in the body—and why it’s so needed

[16:49] The world feels loud: Why we can't hear ourselves anymore

[22:22] Naming the disconnect: “I don’t feel like myself”

[27:09] Holding what’s not yours + the difference between emotion and energy

[31:38] Where are we going—and is just being enough?

[41:27] Experimenting your way into alignment

[42:17] Final reflections: Who are you having this conversation with?

[44:44] Closing thoughts and listener invitation

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries community and mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to feministpods.com to explore everything we have to offer.

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What if the key to powerful leadership isn’t more structure… but more soul?

In this rich, heart-centered conversation, Kim and Louise are joined by coach, strategist, and recovering academic Taina Brown to explore what it really takes to lead as your whole self, especially in systems that reward fragmentation and performance.

They unpack the impact of gatekeeping (from academia to coaching to the workplace), the myth of “getting it right,” and how somatics and play open new doorways to healing, embodiment, and aligned leadership.

Taina shares her journey from feminist scholar to strategy coach, the somatic tools that helped her reconnect after a traumatic health experience, and why funk music might be the nervous system medicine we all need.

This episode is a love letter to anyone who’s ever felt they had to leave parts of themselves at the door to be taken seriously.

“Don’t let one part of yourself gatekeep another.” – Taina Brown

Key Takeaways

• Gatekeeping is often rooted in insecurity and unprocessed imposter syndrome
• Integration is the power move—we’re not meant to fragment across roles
• Play is how we heal, regulate, and remember who we are
• Embodied leadership makes room for sensation, intuition, and rest
• Somatics help rebuild connection, especially after trauma or illness
• Wholeness creates space—for yourself and others to show up fully

Key Moments
[00:00] Welcome + Episode intro
[01:35] Meet today’s guest: Taina Brown
[04:58] Naming and challenging academic gatekeeping
[08:46] Gatekeeping in coaching and helping professions
[12:59] Gatekeeping as protection: fear of being “found out”
[15:14] Unrealistic expectations and imposter syndrome at work
[17:41] Reframing failure with Emergent Strategy
[20:02] Play as a path to learning and growth
[21:23] What if we welcomed the human behind the curtain?
[29:29] Why pushing through isn’t always the answer
[34:00] Fragmentation: stop being your own gatekeeper
[36:01] “Mitigate the ambiguity”: the somatic impact of uncertainty
[39:15] Using somatic CBT in professional development workshops
[43:49] Head, heart, and body: wholeness as a leadership strategy
[45:27] Final reflections and calls to action
[49:08] Where to find Taina online
[50:31] Closing thoughts and listener invitation

About Taina
Taina is a former feminist scholar turned strategy whiz trained in somatic CBT methods. As a personal and professional development coach of over 15 years, she helps leaders and their teams show up as their best, values-aligned selves so they can do good work. She’s also the cohost of the Messy Liberation podcast with Becky Mollenkamp.

🌐 http://www.ifthenand.org/tainambrown
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/tainambrow

Join a circle of changemakers committed to leading with purpose, presence and ease inside Kim's Rising Visionaries community and mentorship program.

Reclaim your career and confidence during midlife through Louise's Rise & Redefine program.

If you’re loving this show, come check out the Feminist Podcasters Collective, where creators like us are uplifting diverse voices and driving meaningful change. If you’re looking for new shows to fill your feed, head to feministpods.com to explore everything we have to offer.