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You can understand why you react a certain way and still find yourself doing it again. If you’ve ever talked through the same pattern, named every feeling, and wondered why things still feel hard, this conversation makes room for that gap between knowing and moving through.
Dr. Michelle Sonnenberg joins me to talk about what helped her through divorce, heartbreak, and burnout and why it wasn’t about leaving talk therapy behind. We explore bringing body-based practices alongside insight, navigating changes we choose and those we don’t, and finding support without feeling like we have to do everything alone.
Key takeaways
01 Insight and body-based support can work together. Michelle credits therapy with helping her understand her patterns. Meditation, movement, and other forms of support helped her connect with what she was feeling beyond talking about it.
02 Feeling an emotion is different from analyzing it. Michelle describes making room for an emotion rather than immediately trying to push it away. Noticing physical sensations can be one way to check in with what you’re experiencing.
03 Wanted change can still feel uncomfortable. Choosing a new direction doesn’t remove the fear or uncertainty that comes with it. We talk about why anxiety around something new doesn’t automatically mean it’s the wrong choice.
04 Regulation isn’t about being calm all the time. Michelle explains it as the ability to move between activated states and return toward baseline. Grounding, movement, and connection with others are among the supports she discusses.
05 You don’t have to ask one person to be your whole village. Different people can offer different kinds of help. Michelle’s vision for Next Evolution Collective grew from her own need for support across more than one area of life.
Conversations like this, every Thursday
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My favorite moments
I appreciated Dr. Michelle’s openness about knowing her patterns and still finding herself caught in them. I shared that, even after years of talk therapy, I can sometimes feel like I’m talking in circles. It was helpful to talk about adding other kinds of support without dismissing what therapy has already given us.
The distinction between wanted and unwanted change felt important, too. I shared that podcasting is something I know I want to do, and it still makes me a little anxious each time. Wanting something and feeling nervous about it can exist together. It’s important to discern the feelings and recognize that I don’t want the anxiety to run the show.
I also appreciated Dr. Michelle’s reminder that nervous system regulation doesn’t mean staying calm every moment. We’re human, and we’re going to get activated. The question is what helps us find our way back and who we can turn to along the way.
About the guest
Dr. Michelle Sonnenberg is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Next Evolution Collective. In this conversation, she draws on around 20 years in clinical psychology, including training, and her own experiences with divorce, heartbreak, and burnout. She describes Next Evolution Collective as a way to connect women navigating life transitions with support spanning mental and emotional health, movement, practical needs, and health and medical foundations.
Explore Next Evolution Collective and follow @nextevolutioncollective on Instagram.
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Pause here
Where in your life do you understand what’s happening, but still feel like you need more support to move through it?
This conversation is for education and inspiration, not medical advice. Please talk with your own doctor about what’s right for your body and your fertility.
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