After the Aha

Morgan Starr-Riestis, LMHC
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Come on in if you’re ready to explore why what you’ve tried to heal and grow hasn’t gotten you unstuck and living your best self. This show is for intellectualizers and anyone committed to growth who want to reach their next level, optimize life, balance holistic health, and regulate their nervous system. I share an insider’s perspective on therapy’s shortcomings and the overlooked phenomena in healing, with relatable, authentic commentary about how we can truly thrive. We go past the aha moments into the practical so you can start feeling your best.

Episodes

  1. Three Generations Tackle Life's Hard Questions

    28/10/2025

    Three Generations Tackle Life's Hard Questions

    🔹 Get started with the Seven Centers System® (or get certified to use this model with your clients): https://sevencenterssystem.com 🔹 Follow Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind.psy.guidance/ 🔹 Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mind.psy.guidance 🔹 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Xc2yjMd5sueLFgLHXu7I6?si=5b7cc3f63d244f29 ✨ What You’ll Hear: Finding hope when life feels heavy How curiosity can bridge generations and heal divides Learning to let go of what you can’t control Redefining success and joy through the years The power of laughter, therapy, and leaning into support Why asking for help is a strength, not a weakness Falling in love again at 74 — it’s never too late Three generations. One conversation. Infinite wisdom. 💫 In this heart-opening episode, therapist Morgan Starr-Riestis sits down with two of the most inspiring women in her life — her mom and her MorMor (grandmother) — for an unforgettable talk about love, resilience, hope, and what it means to live a full, authentic life. Together, they share laughter, tears, and timeless lessons that span generations — from growing up without social media, to breaking barriers for women, to learning how to relax, heal, and find love again later in life. If you’ve ever felt lost, overwhelmed, or craving connection and perspective, this conversation will feel like a warm hug and a deep breath of relief.

    32 min
  2. The 4-Stage Formula to Rewire Your Brain & Nervous System

    21/10/2025

    The 4-Stage Formula to Rewire Your Brain & Nervous System

    🔹 Get started with the Seven Centers System® (or get certified to use this model with your clients): https://sevencenterssystem.com 🔹 Follow Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind.psy.guidance/ 🔹 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mind.psy.guidance This might be the most valuable episode you watch all week. If you’re ready to go beyond short-term “aha” dopamine hits and into real, repeatable change, this is for you. I (Morgan Starr-Riestis, LMHC, PATP from @mind.psy.guidance) break down the exact 4-stage framework I use with clients to get unstuck, rewire the brain and nervous system, and finally create a life that feels as good as it looks. I’m a licensed therapist with a background in cognitive neuroscience and more than a decade in holistic health. In this episode, I share where traditional therapy/coaching falls short, the misunderstood role of actual vs. perceived safety, how to map your recurring patterns to the underlying needs they’re trying to meet, and how to design systematic corrective experiences that truly rewire you—without re-traumatizing. We’ll also talk about getting out of the crash-burn-rise cycle and building sustainable momentum. Who it’s for: high-achievers, deep thinkers (“intellectualizers”), anyone committed to healing, growth, nervous-system-informed living, and practitioners who want to help their clients live their best lives possible.

    21 min
  3. Why Routines Set You Up to Fail (And What Works Instead)

    14/10/2025

    Why Routines Set You Up to Fail (And What Works Instead)

    🔹 Get started with the Seven Centers System® (or get certified to use this model with your clients): https://sevencenterssystem.com 🔹 Follow Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind.psy.guidance/ 🔹 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Xc2yjMd5sueLFgLHXu7I6?si=5b7cc3f63d244f29 🔹 Subscribe on YouTube: If you’ve ever felt “ick” about routines—or you want one but never follow through—this episode is for you. We go beyond quick dopamine “aha” moments and into a practical, holistic system that respects your nervous system, your real life, and your natural cycles. You’ll learn why most routines set you up to fail, how to customize one to you, and a simple habit stacking exercise to lock in change. I’m Morgan Starr-Riestis, a licensed therapist with 10+ years in holistic health and a degree in cognitive neuroscience. Inside, I share why traditional therapy and rigid routines often miss the mark, and how my Seven-Center System helps you regulate your nervous system, balance mind-body-spirit, and actually follow through—without becoming a slave to your schedule.

    23 min
  4. Neuroscience of Manifestation

    07/10/2025

    Neuroscience of Manifestation

    🔹 Get started with the Seven Centers System® (or get certified to use this model with your clients): https://sevencenterssystem.com 🔹 Follow Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind.psy.guidance/ 🔹 Watch/Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zRaDIQdvSlE 🔹 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Xc2yjMd5sueLFgLHXu7I6?si=a1a7f9ccc85747d6 This episode breaks down the Reticular Activating System (RAS), confirmation bias, and nervous-system regulation so you can feel safe to receive, spot aligned opportunities, and manifest in a grounded, neuroscience informed way. In this video you’ll learn: -Why “new level, new devil” blocks your goals—and a somatic plan to move through it -How to train your brain’s algorithm (RAS) to notice the right people, ideas, and opportunities -How to make confirmation bias work for you, not against you-A step-by-step, therapist-designed manifestation routine (uses your own voice + optimal brain states) -How to align goals with the feelings you actually seek (so you don’t “win” and still feel empty) -A manifestation technique that is informed by neuroscience (that Morgan uses every day and swears by). Step 1: Write down one specific thing you want to manifest (choose just one goal for now). Step 2: Close your eyes and ask your body/nervous system: “What do I want to feel when I have this?” Identify and write those core feelings (your “compass/anchor”). Step 3: List every small, present-day example where you already feel those feelings. Let each one be felt in your body. (This trains your perception and builds safety.) Step 4: Write a 2–5 minute first-person story that: Focuses on the sensations of those target feelings, Describes what to notice daily as evidence, Uses your notes from Steps 1–3 to train your RAS and confirmation bias. (Here's the ChatGPT prompt I used): Will you make me a two to five minute story that focuses on helping me feel the sensations in my body of the things that I’m wanting to feel when my manifestation is here, and in story form, things that I can be looking for on my day-to-day to keep bringing in evidence that will help me get my manifestation faster. Please write this in the first person. Step 1 (what I want to manifest):[insert]  Step 2 (what I want to feel when I have it — my compass/anchor):[insert] Step 3 (current evidence that I already feel this, even in small ways):[insert] Step 5: Record the story in your own voice (e.g., Parrot app) and listen on loop morning and night (falling asleep/waking—closer to theta; alpha works too) to stack repetitions and imprint the new pattern. Who this is for: High-achievers, healers, coaches, creators, and thoughtful “intellectualizers” who want nervous-system-level change, holistic health, and sustainable success grounded in cognitive neuroscience. If this served you please leave a 5-star review, leave comments letting me know if you want me to talk more on this topic, money nervous-system regulation or a more advanced RAS training.. and bonus points if you share with a friend who needs to hear it! Appreciate you and see you in the next episode.

    24 min
  5. How to Stop Giving Away Your Most Valuable Assets and Reclaim your Time, Power, and Life

    30/09/2025

    How to Stop Giving Away Your Most Valuable Assets and Reclaim your Time, Power, and Life

    Join the Seven Centers System® (or get certified as a practitioner to use this routine and model with your clients): https://sevencenterssystem.com/ Follow Morgan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mind.psy.guidance/ Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mind.psy.guidance Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Xc2yjMd5sueLFgLHXu7I6?si=ffrExhViS7qi8rNyOXWTww We all know time is precious, but what if your time and attention are the most valuable assets you have and you’re giving them away without even realizing it? In Episode 3 of After the “AHA”, I explore how your relationship with time and attention directly impacts your nervous system, your sense of fulfillment, and your ability to step into your healthiest, wealthiest self. We’ll also unpack: -Why time and attention are the two most valuable currencies you own. -How dysregulation leads us to waste these assets on doom scrolling, Netflix binges, or overworking. -The simple mindset shift that changes “I don’t have time” into “I’m not prioritizing that” and why it’s a game-changer. -Practical tools to reclaim your attention, regulate your nervous system, and invest your energy into what truly matters. -A powerful “time travel” gratitude practice to reframe your life and find joy in the present moment. -If you’re an overachiever, perfectionist, or someone who constantly feels like there’s never enough time, this conversation will help you stop leaking your most valuable resources and start living with more peace, freedom, and fulfillment.

    14 min
  6. Why You're Self-Aware but Still Stuck

    23/09/2025

    Why You're Self-Aware but Still Stuck

    Learn more about the Seven Centers System® + talk with our team: https://sevencenterssystem.com Follow Morgan on Instagram:   / mind.psy.guidance   Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Xc2yjM... Are you stuck chasing the aha dopamine hit—books, podcasts, reels—without seeing real change? In this episode of After the Aha, we unpack intellectualization: what it is, why high-achievers get hooked on it, and how it becomes a sneaky form of self-sabotage that keeps you from embodied, lasting transformation. I’m Morgan, a licensed therapist, with a degree in cognitive neuroscience and 10+ years in holistic health and somatic work. Through my model and routine, the Seven Center System®, I help over-achieving, growth-oriented people regulate their nervous systems, exit the overthinking loop, and build a life that actually feels good holistically (mind, body, and spirit). In this episode you’ll learn -What intellectualization is (the “shield of logic”) and how it quietly blocks change -Why insight ≠ action (and why therapy often rewards the short-term “aha”) -The pendulum swing: suppression → emotional flood → “see, emotions aren’t safe” -How to build felt safety so emotions become information, not threats -3 practical tools to shift from head to body: -Proactive + responsive nervous system regulation routines -Edge-sitting with sensations (work the perimeter, not the overwhelm) The FAB statement (I Feel __ About __ Because I Believe ___) to bridge logic into feeling Is this for you? You’re an intellectualizer who’s “done the work” yet still feels stuck You’re ready to regulate, not just ruminate You want a structured, customized framework (not another tip list) You value evidence-based and spirit-honoring growth

    22 min

  7. 16/09/2025

    You aren’t Broken, The System Is (+The Missing Pieces to Get Unstuck)

    LINKS Learn more about the Seven Centers System® + talk with our team: https://sevencenterssystem.com/scls-opt-in Follow Morgan on Instagram:   / mind.psy.guidance   Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mind.psy.guidance Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Xc2yjM... In this first episode of After the “Aha”, Morgan Starr-Riestis, LMHC, and creator of the Seven Centers System®, shares her personal journey and the story behind creating this framework. She dives into the gap between traditional therapy and holistic wellness —mind, body, and spirit— and explains how her work will help maximize the best of both. Through her own experiences and insight, Morgan unpacks why real transformation requires more than just awareness, and how creating safety in the body allows breakthroughs to become lasting change. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why do I know better but still feel stuck?”, this episode will show you the missing pieces.

    17 min
  8. Welcome to After the Aha (Coming Sept. 16th) 👀

    TRAILER

    Welcome to After the Aha (Coming Sept. 16th) 👀

    After the Aha is where we go deeper, beyond the dopamine rush of insights, into real, actionable approaches that help you create lasting change and live a life you truly love. This show is for deep thinkers, self-improvers, and anyone committed to their healing and growth who are ready to: -Regulate their nervous system -Bring holistic health into balance -Move past plateaus and finally embody your best, next-level self Hosted by Morgan Starr-Riestis, LMHC, a licensed therapist with a degree in cognitive neuroscience who has over a decade in the holistic health space, and is the creator behind the Seven Centers System® and @Mind.Psy.Guidance (which has nearly a million followers across platforms). These episodes will give you an insider’s take on the shortcomings of traditional therapy, potent topics that aren't being talked about in the healing and growth world, and authentic conversations about what it really live a life you love. If you’re ready to move beyond insight and into integration, welcome to After the Aha. Season 1 officially launches September 16th, 2025! Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts + Spotify + YouTube!

    1 min

Trailer

About

Come on in if you’re ready to explore why what you’ve tried to heal and grow hasn’t gotten you unstuck and living your best self. This show is for intellectualizers and anyone committed to growth who want to reach their next level, optimize life, balance holistic health, and regulate their nervous system. I share an insider’s perspective on therapy’s shortcomings and the overlooked phenomena in healing, with relatable, authentic commentary about how we can truly thrive. We go past the aha moments into the practical so you can start feeling your best.

Information

  • Creator
    Morgan Starr-Riestis, LMHC
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    After the Aha