The Healthy Sensitive's Podcast

Leah Burkhart
  • 4.5 (14)
  • Mental Health
  • Biweekly

Health and wellness tips for highly sensitive people

  1. 5d ago

    When You Find Your People: How to Recognize Connection That Feels Like Home

    When You Find Your People: How to Recognize Connection That Feels Like Home Last week, we explored the importance of belonging. This week, I wanted to take that conversation a little further. What actually happens when you find your people? You know, those wonderful humans who make you feel like you can finally exhale. The ones who don't require you to edit your personality, explain every little quirk, or pretend you're a perfectly normal, well-adjusted adult. (Whatever that means.) How do you know when you're sitting across the table from someone who might genuinely be one of your people? There are a few signs I've noticed: You leave with more energy than you arrived with. Rather than feeling drained, you feel restored. It feels like you're reuniting rather than meeting. There's a strange sense of familiarity, even if you've only just met. You feel comfortable being yourself. Almost as comfortable as you would feel alone, except now there's another human in the room. And somehow, that's actually a good thing. But what about the opposite? How do you recognize when someone might not be your person? You feel confused. You leave wondering what just happened, where you stand, or whether you said something wrong. Your protective patterns start showing up. Maybe your inner Warrior takes charge, your Fortress builds walls, your Chameleon starts adapting, or your Nomad looks for the nearest exit. You leave with less energy than you arrived with. Instead of feeling nourished by the connection, you feel depleted. Of course, these aren't foolproof tests. Even wonderful relationships have awkward moments, and sometimes we're simply having an off day. But they're useful clues worth paying attention to. I also explore why finding our people can be especially meaningful for highly sensitive people (HSPs). And here's something important: Your people don't necessarily have to be highly sensitive themselves. They just need to be people who genuinely appreciate and celebrate who you are. Because belonging isn't about finding people who are exactly like you. It's about finding people with whom you don't have to become someone else. Looking for Your People? If you're hoping to find more of those connections, I'd love to invite you to join The Healthy Sensitive Meetup Community. We gather online for live conversations, mindfulness practices, and opportunities to connect with other thoughtful, curious humans. And if you're not quite ready to jump into a live group, that's okay, too! Members receive a weekly newsletter with recordings, conversation highlights, and practical tools you can explore at your own pace. Membership is $5 per month, which also helps us maintain a safer, more intentional community. And if that fee isn't accessible to you right now, just send me a message. I'm happy to waive it. And if you are hoping to join a more intentional coaching group, you're welcome to go deeper and join our group coaching membership. You can purchase that for $35 per month and find that link here: https://phoenixrisingmidlife.mykajabi.com/offers/3sYLzoNk/checkout  Because finding your people shouldn't require you to become someone else—or stretch yourself financially to belong. I hope you'll join us. Leah The Healthy Sensitive Create a life you don't have to recover from.

  2. Oct 26

    The Art of Belonging: How to Find Your People Without Losing Yourself

    The Art of Belonging: How to Find Your People Without Losing Yourself The Healthy Sensitive Podcast We all want to belong. To feel seen, understood, accepted, and loved. But what happens when our attempts to belong lead us to abandon the very parts of ourselves that we most want others to see? In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, I explore the fascinating relationship between belonging, physical and emotional health, sensitivity, and our sense of self. Research suggests that meaningful social connection is essential to our well-being, influencing everything from cardiovascular health and stress regulation to longevity. But for highly sensitive people (HSPs), belonging can be especially complicated. We may crave deep connection while simultaneously feeling overwhelmed by social environments, navigating subtle interpersonal dynamics, or adapting ourselves to meet others' expectations. Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, yoga philosophy, and my own experiences, I explore: The biology of belonging: Why humans evolved to need connection, how relationships influence our health, and why co-regulation is not a weakness. The HSP dilemma: Why our sensitivity can be both a tremendous asset and a challenge when it comes to authentic connection. Schema therapy: How early experiences create deeply ingrained expectations about relationships, including emotional deprivation, abandonment, and social isolation schemas. Samskaras and yoga philosophy: How our past experiences leave impressions that shape our present reactions—and how awareness can help us create new patterns. The paradox of the ego: Why some of us may need to transcend our egos, while others need to make sure we have one in the first place! Self-sufficiency versus interdependence: Is emotional maturity about needing fewer people, or learning how to need one another without losing ourselves? The dark side of belonging: When healthy community becomes conformity, groupthink, or even coercion. I also reflect on the ideas explored in The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, a book inspired by Alfred Adler's psychology that challenges us to reconsider how much of our lives we spend seeking other people's approval. Ultimately, I wonder whether the goal isn't to become so independent that we no longer need belonging, but rather to learn how to experience connection without abandoning ourselves. Because perhaps the healthiest kind of belonging is the kind that allows us to become more fully who we are. A question to consider: Where in your life do you feel most free to be yourself? And what would it take to experience more of that kind of belonging? Join the Healthy Sensitive Community If these conversations resonate with you, I'd love to invite you to join us at The Healthy Sensitives, a community for highly sensitive people, deep thinkers, curious rebels, and anyone interested in creating a life they don't have to recover from. We explore mindfulness, empowered relationships, creativity, healthy living, and what it means to live authentically in a world that often encourages us to do otherwise. Join our Meetup community: https://www.meetup.com/the-healthy-sensitives/ References & Further Reading Books and psychological frameworks The Courage to Be Disliked — Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga (2018). An exploration of Adlerian psychology, self-acceptance, belonging, and freedom from others' expectations. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Courage-to-Be-Disliked/Ichiro-Kishimi/9781501197277 Schema Therapy: A Practitioner's Guide — Jeffrey E. Young, Janet S. Klosko & Marjorie E. Weishaar (2003). The Highly Sensitive Person — Elaine N. Aron (1996). Toward a Psychology of Awakening — John Welwood (2000). Explores the relationship between psychological development and spiritual growth, including spiritual bypassing. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — A foundational yoga philosophy text exploring conditioning, self-study, and liberation. Research on belonging and health Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The Need to Belong: Desire for Interpersonal Attachments as a Fundamental Human Motivation. Psychological Bulletin. Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review. PLOS Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 U.S. Surgeon General (2023). Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community. https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf Aron, E. N., & Aron, A. (1997). Sensory-Processing Sensitivity and Its Relation to Introversion and Emotionality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.2.345 The Healthy Sensitive — Create a life you don't have to recover from.

  3. Oct 18

    The Myth of "It's Too Late"

    The Myth of Too Late: It's Never Too Late to Experience Life Have you ever thought, "It's too late to start over, find love, get healthy, or finally create that thing I've been dreaming about?" For highly sensitive people (HSPs), our conscientiousness, perfectionism, and sensitivity to rejection can make it especially difficult to begin something new. But what if the very sensitivity that sometimes holds us back is also one of our greatest assets? In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, we explore the difference between achieving an outcome and experiencing what we believe that outcome will give us. From healthspan and relationships to creativity and personal growth, we'll challenge the myth that life has an expiration date. Because while it might be too late for a particular outcome, it's rarely too late to begin experiencing more of what makes life meaningful. Connect, Explore & Grow With Us: Join our free Meetup community: The Healthy Sensitives Explore midlife health resources: Midlife Health Clinic Work with me one-on-one: Health & Wellness Coaching Join our group coaching community: The Healthy Sensitive Membership The Healthy Sensitive — Creating a life you don't have to recover from.

  4. Oct 11

    Rejection Sensitivity

    Why Rejection Hurts So Much: Understanding RSD, Hormones & Emotional Resilience Have you ever felt devastated by criticism, overanalyzed an unanswered text, or found yourself questioning your worth after a perceived rejection? You're not alone. In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, we're exploring Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD)—an experience of intense emotional pain associated with real or perceived rejection, criticism, or failure. Inspired by the work of psychiatrist Dr. Sasha Hamdani, we'll explore the science behind rejection sensitivity, how hormonal fluctuations may influence emotional regulation, and practical tools for developing greater emotional resilience. In this episode, we'll explore: What RSD is, its history, and its connection to ADHD and emotional sensitivity Five biological and psychological factors that may contribute to rejection sensitivity How estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, and testosterone may influence emotional regulation throughout life Mindfulness, self-compassion, emotional awareness, and nervous system regulation How to interrupt overthinking, catastrophic thinking, and the need for external validation Navigating mixed signals, delayed texts, boundaries, and emotional distance in relationships How rejection sensitivity can affect friendships, creativity, careers, and personal growth Learning to experience rejection without allowing it to define your worth This Week at The Healthy Sensitive We're continuing the conversation about rejection through our community gatherings! Mindfulness Monday: Practicing mindfulness when rejection hurts Empowered Relationships: Navigating rejection sensitivity in relationships Anti-Hustle Think Tank: Overcoming fear of rejection in creativity and personal growth Healthy Sensitive Coaching Circle: Our very first group coaching session! Bring your own meaningful goals and join us for encouragement, reflection, and accountability. Join Our Community — Free Meetup Events https://www.meetup.com/the-healthy-sensitives/ Join the Healthy Sensitive Membership — $35/month Our membership includes weekly group coaching, access to our growing resource library, and a private Discord community. https://phoenixrisingmidlife.mykajabi.com/offers/3sYLzoNk/checkout Further Reading: Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply by Dr. Sasha Hamdani. A Note About This Podcast: I have a master's degree in health education and hold coaching credentials through NBHWC and ICF. My role is to make complex health and psychological information accessible and practical. I'm an educator and coach, not a therapist or diagnostician. This podcast is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical or mental health care. RSD is not currently a standalone clinical diagnosis, and research on its hormonal mechanisms is still developing. Remember: You don't have to become less sensitive to become more resilient. At The Healthy Sensitive, we're learning to create lives we don't have to recover from—one meaningful step at a time.

  5. Oct 5

    Meet Your Stress Styles

    When Your Stress Style Hijacks Your Why You can know exactly what matters to you—and still find yourself mysteriously not doing it. In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, we explore what happens after you find your Why. Sometimes the problem isn't a lack of motivation or discipline. Moving toward something meaningful can also make us vulnerable, which can activate old adaptive strategies designed to keep us safe. We start with a quick review of the five pathways to finding your Why: Healing — turning what you've experienced, learned, or healed into something meaningful Curiosity — following the questions, ideas, and subjects you can't stop exploring Love — contributing to, nurturing, or protecting someone or something you deeply care about Joy — pursuing what makes you feel alive simply because it brings you joy Growth — following the pull toward learning, creating, stretching, and becoming Then we explore four common stress styles and how they can interfere with the very things we care about most: The Warrior (Fight) The Warrior responds by pushing, achieving, controlling, and trying to win. Something that began as joy or curiosity can quickly become another performance metric. The Fortress (Freeze) The Fortress protects through withdrawal and avoidance. If being seen means risking criticism, rejection, or failure, doing nothing can start to feel safer than trying. The Chameleon (Fawn) The Chameleon stays safe through attunement to others. Other people's needs, expectations, and disappointment can become so loud that our own priorities continually get pushed aside. The Nomad (Flight) The Nomad finds safety in movement and possibility. When a meaningful project becomes difficult, boring, uncertain, or vulnerable, a new idea can suddenly look much more appealing. Importantly, these aren't four kinds of people. They're four strategies available to people. You might be a Warrior at work and a Chameleon in relationships. A Fortress around creativity and a Nomad with your career. Different situations can bring out different adaptive responses. The goal isn't to eliminate these strategies. Each has strengths. Instead, we can learn to notice when one has taken the wheel—and return to our Why as a compass. Questions to consider What is something you genuinely want for yourself right now? Which pathway connects you to it: Healing, Curiosity, Love, Joy, or Growth? And when you try to move toward it, what happens? Do you push? Do you hide? Do you appease? Do you run toward something new? Then ask: What is this strategy trying to protect me from? And finally: What would it look like to honor my Why while helping this protective part of me feel safe enough to take one small step? Your adaptive strategies can come along for the ride. They just don't always get to drive. Come Join Us Want to explore these ideas with other highly sensitive people through live conversations, workshops, and community events? Join The Healthy Sensitives Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/the-healthy-sensitives/?eventOrigin=home_groups_you_organize Join The Healthy Sensitive Membership: https://phoenixrisingmidlife.mykajabi.com/offers/3sYLzoNk/checkout Come build a life that feels like yours—without burning yourself out in the process.

  6. Sep 27

    What Is Your Why (And Why Does It Matter?)

    What keeps calling your attention—and what might happen if you actually listened? In this episode of The Healthy Sensitive, Leah explores why knowing your “Why” may be especially important for highly sensitive people. We’ll talk about purpose, meaningful work, motivation, deep work, slow productivity, and why sensitivity isn’t just about what overwhelms us—it may also shape what makes us come alive. Leah also shares why the podcast went quiet for a while, what she’s been building behind the scenes, and the deeper Why guiding the next chapter of The Healthy Sensitive. Because maybe the goal isn’t to become better at recovering from an exhausting life. Maybe it’s to create a life you don’t have to recover from. Join the free community, explore upcoming events, and learn more about The Healthy Sensitive membership at: Website: http://healthysensitive.com/  Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/the-healthy-sensitives/?eventOrigin=home_groups_you_organize  Membership: https://phoenixrisingmidlife.mykajabi.com/offers/3sYLzoNk/checkout  Coaching: https://phoenixrisingmidlife.mykajabi.com/health-coaching

  7. 06/20/2025

    What's Your Burnout Type?

    In this episode, I spend a few minutes updating folks on my latest passion project (The Energy Generator). It's for women who run a business and who want more energy. In our program, we talk about how there are multiple types of burnout (they come in more flavors than one). I adapted the content to speak directly to highly sensitive people.    If you like the content and want to find out more, please join us for our webinar! I would love to see you. Even if you can't make it for the live presentation, you'll still get a recording of it afterward if you're interested. It's free!    Join us for the webinar! (Link below)  https://dani-dupuis.mykajabi.com/microcast-registration   If you would like to join the Healthy Sensitive Meetup group and get access to unlimited live events, and to our private discord channel, click here:  "The Healthy Sensitives": https://www.meetup.com/the-healthy-sensitives/

  8. 06/17/2025

    It's Good to be the King: Reclaiming small joys, emotional freedom, and the power of choosing your own internal weather.

    🎧 Intro – Why I’m Still Talking Hi everyone. I’m Leah Burkhart, and welcome back to The Healthy Sensitive—a podcast for sensitive souls trying to live awake in a world that’s still half-asleep. This is a space for those of us who don’t just want to get through life—we want to feel it. We’re the kind of people who tend to live like everything is a miracle, to borrow the quote often attributed to Einstein. We notice the way light changes in a room. The shift in someone’s tone. The way our own hearts thud when something matters. And we’re not here to tune that out—we’re here to make space for it. There’s a quote I’ve always loved by Vivian Greene: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” And for sensitive people, I think we’re not just dancing in the rain. We’re memorizing the smell of it, writing poetry about it, and wondering if we’re supposed to be doing it better. That brings me to what I really wanted to share today. 🛠️ What I’m Building (and Why) Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what kind of content I want to create. There’s just so much noise out there—podcasts, Substacks, social media reels—and I’ve had moments where I’ve wondered if I should even add to the pile. At first, I thought: maybe if I sound smart enough, I’ll be adding value. Maybe I should teach more. Prove I’m useful. But when I really sat with it, I asked a deeper question: What has helped me most when I felt low? Sometimes, sure—I wanted information. What vitamin could help? How do I sleep better? What’s the research say? But more often… What I needed most was just to not feel so alone. To hear someone say, “Me too.” Not with advice. Just with presence. That’s part of why I’ve funneled so much energy into the Meetup groups I run. I want to create a place where sensitive people can gather and just be real with each other. But I also know not everyone can join a live group. Some folks need asynchronous connection. They need the content to come to them—when they’re ready, and in a form they can take in. So I’m building something. It’s not done yet—it’s still in the messy, creative, patchwork phase—but I’m building a full ecosystem for sensitive people. One that includes: Free content (like this podcast and my Substack) A $5/month membership that gives you access to all the live Meetup groups and coaching circles And, eventually, a space where you can take courses, engage in community discussions, and find tools tailored to how your system works Right now, that $5/month just covers the cost of the Meetup account itself. But here's the bonus: If you join now, you’re grandfathered in at that price for life, even after the full system is live and has more features. It’s my way of saying thank you—to the early believers. And for those of you who just want to keep listening or reading quietly in the background—that’s okay too. The podcast and Substack posts stay free. Always. 🌱 Today’s Story: “It’s Good to Be the King” Now let me take you to the story that’s been living in my chest all week. I’ve been thinking about my grandmother. She was a woman with sharp wit, a minimalist’s soul, and a strong pour of scotch in the evening. She had three kids, including my dad. And she went through something that—at the time—was quietly devastating. Her husband left her… for a man. And this was not a time when that was talked about or supported. It was brave. And hard. And real. But they navigated it with grace. He said, “If you get a child support check, it’s because I have money. If you don’t, it’s because I don’t.” He let her keep the house. He stayed honorable. She didn’t crumble. She figured it out. And what I remember most is not the hardship—but the way she sat in her chair at the end of the day, a beret perched on her head, a glass of scotch in hand, and this sly, self-satisfied smile as she’d say: “It’s good to be the king.” It was as if, in that moment, she wasn’t waiting for anything else to fall into place. She wasn’t chasing peace. She was choosing it. 💬 What Came Up in Our Meetup That image of her came to me during this week’s Mindfulness Monday. I led a group where we explored this prompt: If money, time, and energy weren’t an issue—what would you choose to experience? And once we imagined it, I asked: What is the feeling you’d be chasing in that scenario? And then: What’s one small way you might access that feeling today—without needing the whole setup? Because sometimes, we can skip the middleman. We don’t need the mansion to feel cozy. We don’t need the month off to feel rested. We don’t need a new identity to feel whole. What we’re really longing for is often a sensation. A felt experience. And sometimes, we can create it with a candle. A breath. A decision. A pause. We ended that session by writing our own permission slips: “I hereby give myself permission to feel free.” “To feel joyful.” “To feel held.” 📚 Viktor Frankl and the Power of Meaning It reminds me of Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. He survived Auschwitz. Lost his family. And still wrote: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” He wasn’t being naïve. He wasn’t saying suffering doesn’t matter. He was saying meaning matters more. And when we can frame even a hard moment in purpose—or tenderness—or beauty—that’s where real power lives. 🧡 Wrap-Up So maybe today’s question is: What would it look like to stop waiting for the storm to pass—and dance anyway? To sip your metaphorical scotch, wear your metaphorical beret, and say: “It’s good to be the king.” And to know that you’re not alone. Because you’re not just listening to a coach or a health educator—you’re tapping into a community of sensitive, deeply human people who are asking the same questions and sharing the same kinds of reflections. If that’s a community you want to join, the link’s in the show notes. And if you’re just here to listen quietly for now, welcome. You belong, too. Until next time—be well, be curious, and give yourself the feeling… before the fix.     Want to join our meetup group? Click Here: The Healthy Sensitive Meetup Group

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4.5
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About

Health and wellness tips for highly sensitive people

Information

  • Creator
    Leah Burkhart
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2017 Leah Burkhart. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Healthy Sensitive's Podcast

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