Loving Your Life Again | Toxic Relationship Recovery & Nervous System Healing For Women Ready to Heal

Christina Sommers | Somatic Coach & Breathwork Facilitator
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Mental Health
  • Weekly

Loving Your Life Again is a warm, honest, and deeply grounded podcast for women who are still inside a toxic, emotionally abusive, or addiction-affected relationship — or who have just found their way out — and are finally ready to stop surviving and start healing for real. Hosted by Christina Sommers, trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and somatic coach, this show offers clarity, nervous system tools, and the kind of real talk that actually meets you where you are — so you can find your way back to yourself, your faith, and the life you were always meant to love. If you're exhausted from carrying everything and everyone, if you feel stuck but can't quite name why, or if you've tried the five-step resets and nothing has actually stuck — this podcast was made for you. Whether you're walking on eggshells around his moods, quietly enabling an addiction you never signed up for, or holding a marriage together while slowly disappearing inside it — you are not alone, and you are not crazy. With story-first teaching, embodied healing tools, and conversations rooted in faith, each episode is designed to help you feel less alone, more grounded in your own body, and one breath closer to real peace. Christina has walked her own journey through toxic relationship, addiction, and survival mode — all the way to wholeness — and she brings that lived experience into every single episode, alongside twenty years of grounded, practical wisdom. What you'll hear: Real conversations about toxic relationships, narcissistic abuse, emotional abuse, and loving an addicted spouseNervous system healing, breathwork, and somatic tools you can actually useFaith-rooted healing for the woman who's been wrestling with God in the middle of her pain If you're asking any of these questions, you're in the right place: Is this even abuse if he doesn't hit me?Is it okay to leave if my husband is an addict — what does God say about that?Why do I feel so crazy — and why can't I trust myself anymore?Will I ever feel like myself again? This is the podcast for when you're done performing peace and ready to find the real thing. Tune in — and take the next breath back to loving your life. 🤍

  1. 2d ago

    Why Can’t I Just Leave? 7 Invisible Reasons Women Stay in Toxic Relationships

    🌿 Start here: The Self-Trust Reset If you've been second-guessing everything, this free practice helps you slow down, notice what you're experiencing, and begin hearing your own voice again. Get the Self-Trust Reset   "Why don't you just leave?" If you've ever been asked that question, you know it can land more like blame than care. And if you've quietly asked it of yourself, you know the answer is never simple. In this episode, I'm sharing seven invisible reasons women stay in toxic and emotionally abusive relationships, including the ones that kept me in my own marriage through four attempts to leave. We talk about the fog of gaslighting, the trauma bond that keeps hope alive, a nervous system stuck in survival mode, the weight of marriage vows and faith, the belief that staying protects our kids, the financial realities of starting over, and the slow loss of self that makes leaving feel impossible. This isn't about telling you whether to stay or go. It's about naming what's been holding you, so you can begin to understand yourself with compassion and start trusting your own knowing again. Whether you're still in it, thinking about leaving, or you've just walked away and you're questioning everything, this conversation is for you. In this episode Why "why don't you just leave?" can feel like victim blaming, even when it comes from loveThe fog: how gaslighting makes you question your own realityThe trauma bond: holding on to who he could becomeSurvival mode and the beach ball: when "peace" is really managing the absence of conflictThe vow: when leaving feels like failing GodThe kids: what staying "for the children" can look like through their nervous systemsThe money: economic abuse and the practical realities of starting overThe lost self: who you are without the relationship, and the question "Why am I not important?"A gentle grounding practice to notice which chain feels loudest for youTake this with you Choose the question you're ready for, and leave the rest for another day. Which of these seven feels the loudest for me right now?What have I been taught to believe about love, responsibility, and my own needs?Whose voice am I hearing when I tell myself I have to stay?Why am I not important? This isn't an accusation. It's an invitation to find the beliefs underneath the patterns.Going deeper: If I already knew I was worthy, lovable, and enough, what would I stop tolerating? (Inspired by Dr. Morgan Anderson)Episodes mentioned •       Is It Me?: What Gaslighting Does to Your Self-Trust (And How You Get It Back) — a deeper look at the fog and how self-trust comes back •       How Did I Not Know?: Releasing the Mom Guilt No One Talks About — for the guilt that can rise when you look back at what you couldn't see If you need support right now If you're in a relationship where you feel unsafe, you deserve support in understanding your options and making a plan that protects you. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is free, confidential, and available 24/7: call 1-800-799-7233, text START to 88788, or visit thehotline.org. If someone may see your phone, email, or browsing history, consider using a private window or a device that feels safe. 🤍 When you're ready If you'd like a more personal conversation, A Space to Exhale is thirty minutes to connect, explore what you're noticing, and see what kind of support might feel right for you. No pressure to have answers. Book A Space to Exhale Until next time. One day, one moment, one breath at a time — back to loving your life. Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

  2. Oct 20

    Am I Allowed to Feel This Good? Receiving Love After Hurt

    🌿 Free for you: The Self Trust Reset. If your reality has been questioned so many times that you second-guess everything, this is a gentle place to begin hearing your own voice again, at your own pace. Get it here: breathofrenewal.com/self-trust-reset  What if the hardest part of healing isn’t surviving the hurt, but letting yourself receive the good when it finally comes? My friend Shabana Knight was two years old when she was separated from her guardian in a crowded train station in India. An orphanage, an adoption, and a cross-country move later, she’s built a life full of love, but not without some very dark seasons. Together we talk about: The years when everything felt like too muchWhat it takes to rebuild after your self-worth has been stolenWhy your body needs time to trust love after hurtI also share the hospital bed where “one day at a time” became one moment, and then one breath, at a time. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why receiving love can feel unsafe, even when nothing is wrongHow a strong no makes room for a confident yes to yourselfThe difference between consuming more and integrating what you already knowWhat loving your life looks like when you learn to be presentJournal prompts: Where am I saying yes to others while saying no to myself?What would I ask for if I believed it was safe to ask?Connect with Shabana: Intuitive energy readings: loveandlight.kit.com/products/intuitive-energy-readingsInstagram: instagram.com/the_shabana_knightOrganized Chaos: Permission Granted: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/organized-chaos-permission-granted/id1838536482Stay connected with me: A Moment to Exhale, my weekly letter with a real story and one simple tool for your week: breathofrenewal.com/exhaleSpace to Exhale, a gentle conversation where you can be heard and witnessed, with no pressure and no rush: breathofrenewal.com/space-to-exhaleUntil next time. One day, one moment, one breath at a time, back to loving your life. 🤍 #lovingyourlifeagain #breathofrenewal #healingjourney #selftrust #peoplepleasingrecovery #nervoussystemhealing #somatichealing #emotionalhealing #choosingmyself #receivinglove Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

  3. Oct 13

    When You Take Care of Everyone But Yourself: Emotional Eating, People Pleasing, and Self-Abandonment with Amber Romaniuk

    🌿 Looking for a gentle place to land each week? A Moment to Exhale is my weekly letter. Each one brings you a real story, one simple tool for your nervous system, and a reminder that you’re not walking this road alone. Join here: breathofrenewal.com/exhale You take care of everyone. The kids, the house, his moods, the never-ending to-do list. Then at the end of the day, standing in the kitchen, you reach for something even though you’re not hungry. What if that isn’t a willpower problem at all? In this episode, I sit down with Amber Romaniuk, an Emotional Eating, Digestive, and Hormone Expert, to talk about what happens when a woman spends years overriding herself: her hunger, her feelings, her needs, her no. Amber shares her own journey through binge eating and restriction, and the moment she realized food was never the real problem. Together we explore why “just stop” never works, how judgment keeps the cycle going, and what it looks like to start listening to your body instead of fighting it. What you’ll walk away with: Why the behavior is never the whole story, and the gentle question to ask instead of “how do I stop?”A simple way to tell physical hunger from emotional hungerWhy shame becomes its own trigger, and how forgiveness gives you your power backOne small, safe step you can begin today, on your own termsJournal prompts: Where in my life am I saying yes when I really mean no?The next time I reach for something, can I pause and ask: What do I really need instead?What is one small thing I can do for myself this week, and how will I celebrate it?A gentle note: this conversation includes honest discussion of binge eating and bulimia. Please listen in whatever way feels safe for you. Connect with Amber Website: https://amberapproved.ca/Free Emotional Eating Quiz: https://amberapproved.ca/emotional-eating-quiz/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberromaniukThe No Sugar Coating Podcast, available on all podcast appsWhen You’re Ready Space to Exhale, a gentle conversation with me about where you are and what you need: breathofrenewal.com/space-to-exhale Until next time. One day, one moment, one breath at a time — back to loving your life. 🤍 #emotionaleating #peoplepleasing #selfabandonment #selftrust #nervoussystemhealing #somatichealing #toxicrelationshiprecovery #healingjourney #lovingyourlifeagain #breathofrenewal Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

  4. Oct 9

    Grief After Leaving a Toxic Relationship: Why You Still Feel Sad When You Know It Was Right with Brenda L Balding

    🌿 Craving a little more breathing room in your week?  A Moment to Exhale is my weekly letter for women coming home to themselves. Each one brings a real story, a gentle tool you can use right away, and a reminder that you're not walking this road alone. Join here: breathofrenewal.com/exhale You finally left. So why does it feel like your heart is breaking all over again? In this episode, I sit down with Brenda L Balding to talk about the grief no one warns you about. Brenda is an author, a registered nurse, a Reiki energy healer, and the host of Love's Inner Voice. She has lived through the end of her marriage, the loss of two pregnancies, and the passing of both of her parents. Those losses taught her that grief can become a rebirth. She shares the acronym that came to her after her father passed, and the simple practices that help her come back into her body when fear and sadness rise. In this episode, you'll discover: Why grief can show up even when you know leaving was rightHow grief and gratitude can live side by sideBrenda's PAUSE practice for the moments when fear takes overThe heart breath for dropping back into your bodyHow to begin hearing your own inner voice againJournal prompts to sit with: What ending in my life have I never given myself permission to grieve?In this season, what am I grateful for, and what am I still grieving?Where in my body am I feeling this, and what is here for me to learn?Coming up: Clear Nervous System Noise Summit | October 13th–15th Nine practitioners offer nine different portals into your body. What we have in common is that none of us believes there's one right way to regulate. Each of us trusts that your body is a powerful doorway back into yourself. Over three days, you're invited to explore, notice what resonates, and find the path that feels like home to you. Save your seat for free here: https://summit.clearnervoussystemnoise.com/?utm_source=christina-sommers&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cnsn-2026 Courage to Shine Your Light with Brenda L Balding | October 10th Join Brenda for her class: https://brendalbalding.com/courage-to-shine-your-light/Connect with Brenda: Website, plus a free 30-minute conversation with Brenda: https://brendalbalding.comFree gift, Insight Out, her book of photos and poems: https://brendalbalding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Insight-out-HD-1.pdfAll of Brenda's social links: https://linktr.ee/winblb2Walk this road with me: A Moment to Exhale newsletter: breathofrenewal.com/exhaleBook a Space to Exhale session: breathofrenewal.com/space-to-exhaleUntil next time. One day, one moment, one breath at a time — back to loving your life. 🤍 #griefafterdivorce #toxicrelationshiprecovery #nervoussystemhealing #lovingyourlifeagain #breathofrenewal #somatichealing #healingjourney #startingover Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

  5. Sep 8

    When Your World Gets Smaller: The Quiet Isolation Nobody Warned You About

    Before we dive in — this episode came from a conversation that started in my newsletter, A Moment to Exhale. If you want to be part of where these conversations go next, come subscribe: breathofrenewal.com/exhale Sometimes isolation doesn't look like someone telling you, "You can't go." Sometimes it sounds more like: But what about me? Sometimes it's the tension you know will be waiting when you get home. The guilt that follows making plans without them. The questions about who you've been talking to when you start seeing things differently. And little by little, it becomes easier to stay home, stop sharing, stop reaching out — and your world quietly gets smaller. This week's episode wasn't the one I planned to record. After asking my community, "What part of an unhealthy or abusive relationship do you wish people talked more about openly?" one response stopped me in my tracks. She described the slow separation from family and friends that can happen when choosing anyone outside of the relationship comes with mental and emotional repercussions. So we're talking about it. In this episode, we explore: How isolation can happen without anyone explicitly saying, "You can't see them"The difference between relationships naturally drifting and connection becoming emotionally expensiveHow isolation can function as part of coercive controlWhy outside perspectives can threaten a dynamic built on questioning your own perceptionThe role identity, self-trust, people-pleasing, codependent patterns, and insecurity can play in making manipulation harder to recognizeWhy your patterns never make someone else's manipulation your faultThe difference between what feels familiar and what is actually supportive or healthyWhy healing isn't about using tools to make uncomfortable feelings disappearWhat it can look like to slowly reconnect — with yourself, with people you miss, or with new communityAnd perhaps most importantly, we come back to this: What if they didn't abandon you? What if somewhere there's still a friend thinking, I miss her. A sister wondering, Does she know she can call me? Someone who would love to hear from you again. You don't have to rebuild your entire world today. You can start with one small act of expansion. UNBOUND: Founding Five If this episode felt familiar because you're in the season of figuring out who you are after an unhealthy or abusive relationship, Unbound is now open for my Founding Five. This is a deeper space for rebuilding the relationship with yourself — your voice, your choices, your self-trust, your connection with your body, and your freedom to begin choosing your life again. If you already know you want deeper support, find more details here:  https://www.breathofrenewal.com/loving-your-life-again And if you know you want support but aren't sure what that looks like yet, A Space to Exhale is still here for you. You don't have to know exactly what you need before we talk: breathofrenewal.com/space-to-exhale One Question to Take With You Where has your world gotten smaller — and what would one tiny act of expansion look like? And I really do want to hear from you. What part of an unhealthy or abusive relationship do you wish people talked about more openly? Your response might just change the podcast schedule again. 🤍 Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

  6. Sep 1

    When You're Safe Now, But Your Body Doesn't Know It Yet with Nora Rodden

    Before you dive in: this episode pairs perfectly with A Moment to Exhale — my weekly love note where we keep conversations like this one going. You can join us at breathofrenewal.com/exhale. What happens when your circumstances have changed, you know you're safe now… and your body is still responding as though the danger never ended? You left. You did the hardest thing. And somewhere in you, you thought — okay, I'm safe now. But then the pain showed up anyway. The stomach that won't settle. The sleep that won't come. And a small, tired voice starts asking: is this in my head? It's not. For years, my guest Nora Rodden lived with chronic back pain, digestive symptoms, and insomnia. She tried treatment after treatment without finding lasting relief — until a clinical research study introduced her to a completely different way of understanding the connection between her brain, body, symptoms, and nervous system. In this episode, Nora and I explore the mind-body connection, somatic awareness, chronic stress, and what can happen when your nervous system has spent years learning that it needs to protect you. We bring this conversation directly into the experience of healing after a toxic or abusive relationship — because leaving the relationship and being physically safe doesn't necessarily mean your body immediately knows the danger has passed. This is also the first of our guest conversations returning to the show, about once a month, bringing new voices and perspectives into this healing work. Inside this conversation, we talk about: Nora's journey from chronic pain, digestive issues, and insomnia to discovering mind-body work through a Harvard clinical research studyWhat "somatic" actually means, and how it differs from staying inside our thoughtsWhy curiosity toward a sensation can create a very different experience than immediately fearing or resisting itThe connection between stress, fear, hypervigilance, and persistent symptomsWhy chronic symptoms can have a structural or medical origin and still be influenced by the nervous system — and the importance of appropriate medical evaluation rather than trying to "breathe away" something that needs medical careHow people-pleasing, perfectionism, lack of boundaries, past experiences, and ongoing stress can keep the nervous system on high alertWhy you can leave an unhealthy relationship, logically know you're safe, and still experience a body that responds according to what it learned beforeThe shift from believing your body has failed you to becoming curious about how it may have been trying to protect youOne of my favorite reminders from this conversation? Your body isn't necessarily working against you. It may have become incredibly good at protecting you based on what it has experienced. And healing can include giving it new experiences that show it something different is possible. MEET NORA Nora Rodden is the Founder and CEO of Nervana, a digital health company making research-backed mind-body treatment more accessible for people with chronic symptoms. Nervana combines AI-guided support with access to human mind-body coaching to help people understand and change patterns that may be contributing to persistent symptoms. Nora holds an MS in Biotechnology and an MBA from Harvard, and previously worked in strategy and operations across the biotech industry. After recovering from chronic pain, insomnia, and digestive issues herself, she became passionate about helping more people access credible, non-drug approaches to recovery. Connect with Nora and learn more about Nervana at trynervana.com, where you can also start a 7-day free trial.  Find her @trynervana on  http://www.instagram.com/trynervana/ https://www.tiktok.com/@trynervana https://www.facebook.com/TryNervana/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/trynervana/ https://www.youtube.com/@trynervana READY FOR YOUR OWN SPACE TO EXHALE? If you've left a toxic or abusive relationship and you're beginning to realize that leaving was only one part of becoming free, I invite you to book a complimentary Space to Exhale conversation. This is a place to talk about where you are, what you're navigating, and whether deeper support may be the right next step for you. Book Your A Space to Exhale Session Now Not ready for a conversation yet? Join me for A Moment to Exhale, my weekly love note with reflections, practices, podcast conversations, and reminders to come back home to yourself, at breathofrenewal.com/exhale. Because leaving may have created freedom around you. Now you get to discover what it feels like to experience that freedom within you, too. #toxicrelationshiprecovery #nervoussystemhealing #loveyourlifeagain #breathofrenewal #somatichealing #healingjourney #mindbodyconnection #emotionalabuse #survivalmode #startingover Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

  7. Aug 25

    What Is Covert Narcissism? When the Relationship Doesn't Look Abusive From the Outside

    What if the relationship doesn't look abusive from the outside — and that's part of what makes it so hard to name? Before you dive in: this episode pairs perfectly with A Moment to Exhale, my weekly newsletter where we go even deeper into moments like this one. Get it delivered every Wednesday → breathofrenewal.com/exhale. In this episode of Loving Your Life Again, I'm beginning a new series called You Are Not Broken, where we're exploring the patterns, adaptations, and experiences that can leave women questioning themselves after unhealthy or abusive relationships. We're starting with covert narcissism — sometimes described as vulnerable narcissism — and the moment I first found language that helped me understand pieces of my own experience. This isn't about diagnosing your partner, your ex, or anyone else.  It's about awareness.  Because sometimes the most important question isn't: "Is this person a narcissist?" It's: "What is happening to me inside this relationship?" In this episode, we talk about: Why covert narcissistic patterns can be harder to recognizeThe difference between noticing narcissistic traits and diagnosing Narcissistic Personality DisorderWhat it can look like to become the fixer, peacekeeper, translator, or excuse-maker in a relationshipWalking on eggshells, rehearsing conversations, and slowly losing touch with your own wants and needsWhy someone can seem completely different to the outside world than they do inside the relationshipThe awareness checklist that helped me begin seeing my own adaptationsThe complicated overlap between addiction, manipulation, and narcissistic tendencies in my own marriageWhy "just leave" completely misses the reality of many abusive relationshipsMy experience of leaving more than once before leaving for goodThe emotional, financial, relational, and faith-based "hooks" that can make leaving complicatedHow my beliefs about God, marriage, forgiveness, and responsibility became part of my own struggleWhy awareness doesn't force you into action — it gives you access to choiceOne of the biggest realizations in my own healing was this: I wasn't only recognizing his behavior. I was recognizing mine. The ways I had adapted.  The ways I had minimized.  The ways I had learned to manage another person's emotions while becoming disconnected from my own voice. And that's where this series is going.  Not obsessing over them.  Not fixing them.  Not diagnosing them. Understanding you.  What you've carried.  How you've adapted.  What you need now.  And how you begin finding your way back to yourself. Because you are not broken.  Stay Connected  If something in this episode made you think, “Oh… that’s what I’ve been experiencing,” you don’t have to immediately know what to do with that awareness. You can simply let it land. Join me for A Moment to Exhale, my weekly love note for the woman learning how to come home to herself again: breathofrenewal.com/exhale  Ready for Deeper Support?  If you know you want support — whether that's deeper work or simply a space to process where you are right now — you can book a no-pressure conversation with me. You don't have to show up with everything figured out. We can simply talk about where you are, what you're navigating, and what might feel supportive from here: breathofrenewal.com/space-to-exhale Coming Up in the You Are Not Broken Series We'll continue exploring trauma bonding, functional freeze, codependency, why women stay, nervous system responses, the overlap between addiction and narcissistic behaviors, and what it really looks like to rebuild trust with yourself. Guest conversations will also continue to be woven throughout Loving Your Life Again, bringing in stories and perspectives around healing, identity, faith, relationships, and rebuilding. One day, one moment, one breath at a time — back to loving your life. #toxicrelationshiprecovery #narcissisticabuse #nervousystemhealing #covertnarcissism #loveyourlifeagain #breathofrenewal #christianwomenhealing #emotionalabuse #selftrustjourney #startingover Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

  8. Aug 18

    What If You Don't Need to Push Through?: Rest, Permission & Rebuilding Self-Trust

    🌿 Before you dive in: this episode pairs perfectly with A Moment to Exhale, my weekly newsletter where we go even deeper into moments like this one. Get it delivered every Wednesday → breathofrenewal.com/exhale Have you ever looked back at your week and thought, I didn't really do anything? That was me this week. My energy was low. My body was asking for rest. And instead of pushing through simply because there were things I could be doing, I listened. In this episode, I'm talking about what it looks like to honor the seasons when your body, energy, and intuition are asking you to slow down — and why that can be so uncomfortable when you've spent years overriding yourself. I share some of the ways understanding my own rhythms, including through Human Design and being a Manifestor, has given me permission to stop treating every low-energy season like a problem that needs to be fixed. And we go deeper than rest. Because when you've spent years questioning your own needs, instincts, feelings, or knowing, choosing to listen to yourself again becomes part of rebuilding self-trust. Maybe you don't need to push through. Maybe you don't need to turn your rest into a breakthrough or prove that it made you more productive afterward. Maybe you needed rest simply because you needed rest. In this episode, we explore: The pressure to always be doing, producing, or moving forwardWhat it can look like to honor your body's natural rhythmsHow constantly overriding yourself can disconnect you from your own knowingThe connection between rest, self-trust, and reclaiming your voice and choiceGiving yourself permission to have seasons where less really is enoughShow Notes: 0:00 — Intro: Almost Skipping This Episode1:37 — This Week's Honest Story2:40 — The Pull to Rest & Human Design4:01 — Checking In: What Rest Actually Looked Like6:12 — The Old Voice of "Should Haves"8:23 — Rest as a Practice10:06 — Rebuilding Trust With Yourself11:18 — Rest Doesn't Need to Produce Anything12:25 — Closing Thoughts & Where to ConnectIf you've been telling yourself you should be doing more, consider this your invitation to ask a different question: What is my body actually asking of me right now? Journal Prompts: Where are you waiting for a "big enough" reason to rest?What would it feel like to trust a "not now" from your body without guilt?What's one small way you can check in with yourself today — and actually honor what you hear?🤍 Ready to go deeper? Book a Space to Exhale — a no-agenda conversation, just for you → breathofrenewal.com/space-to-exhale Support the show If something in this episode is still sitting with you — stay there a moment. You don't have to rush to the next thing. And when you're ready, I'm here. The kindest thing you can do is share this with a woman who needs to hear she's not alone. And if you haven't yet — hit follow and leave a review. It helps more women find their way here. 🌐 Start here: www.breathofrenewal.com/start-here 📱 Instagram: @breath_of_renewal ✉️ hello@breathofrenewal.com Until next time — one day, one moment, one breath at a time back to loving your life. 🤍

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Loving Your Life Again is a warm, honest, and deeply grounded podcast for women who are still inside a toxic, emotionally abusive, or addiction-affected relationship — or who have just found their way out — and are finally ready to stop surviving and start healing for real. Hosted by Christina Sommers, trauma-informed breathwork facilitator and somatic coach, this show offers clarity, nervous system tools, and the kind of real talk that actually meets you where you are — so you can find your way back to yourself, your faith, and the life you were always meant to love. If you're exhausted from carrying everything and everyone, if you feel stuck but can't quite name why, or if you've tried the five-step resets and nothing has actually stuck — this podcast was made for you. Whether you're walking on eggshells around his moods, quietly enabling an addiction you never signed up for, or holding a marriage together while slowly disappearing inside it — you are not alone, and you are not crazy. With story-first teaching, embodied healing tools, and conversations rooted in faith, each episode is designed to help you feel less alone, more grounded in your own body, and one breath closer to real peace. Christina has walked her own journey through toxic relationship, addiction, and survival mode — all the way to wholeness — and she brings that lived experience into every single episode, alongside twenty years of grounded, practical wisdom. What you'll hear: Real conversations about toxic relationships, narcissistic abuse, emotional abuse, and loving an addicted spouseNervous system healing, breathwork, and somatic tools you can actually useFaith-rooted healing for the woman who's been wrestling with God in the middle of her pain If you're asking any of these questions, you're in the right place: Is this even abuse if he doesn't hit me?Is it okay to leave if my husband is an addict — what does God say about that?Why do I feel so crazy — and why can't I trust myself anymore?Will I ever feel like myself again? This is the podcast for when you're done performing peace and ready to find the real thing. Tune in — and take the next breath back to loving your life. 🤍

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