Unclenched Conversations, with Nicole

Nicole
  • 5.0 (4)
  • MENTAL HEALTH

Unclenched Conversations, with Nicole is a podcast for thoughtful humans who want relief from anxiety, ADD/ADHD, depressive thoughts, overthinking, and burnout — and who want to understand why things work, not just be told to try them. Each episode explores the very real blocks we come up against as people (and especially as women): inherited conditioning, generational patterns, nervous system dysregulation, and the quiet expectations that keep us tense, responsible for everything, and disconnected from ourselves. This is where science and spirituality meet.  You’ll hear grounded conversations that weave together your human experience, psychology, and nervous system science with mindfulness, awareness practices, and lived human wisdom. There’s room for curiosity, a little woo — and the science that explains it. If you’ve ever wanted mindfulness to make sense, this podcast is for you. Nicole serves as a bridge between evidence-based understanding and inner experience, helping listeners see why a practice calms the body, why awareness changes behavior, and why regulation — not willpower — is the foundation for real change. Expect honest conversation, gentle humor, practical insight, and deep respect for your intelligence. No bypassing. No fixing. No pretending you’re fine. Just space to soften, understand yourself more deeply, and discover that there is a better way to live — one that doesn’t require constant tension. A Burned Out B production. 💥 New episodes weekly 💛 Follow on Instagram @theburnedoutb 🔥 Join the rebellion, reclaim your wholeness, and let’s burn the system down—not ourselves.

  1. 2D AGO

    Opinions Are Like Assholes, But Compassion Smells Better

    Ever feel like the world is daring you to stay angry? We’re pressing pause on the outrage reflex and asking a sharper question: what actually grows when you feed your attention to the fight—and what grows when you don’t? Nicole shares a clear, no-fluff “mom bomb” about the hidden program behind constant fury, why it feels intoxicating, and how it quietly drains your power. Instead of shaming emotions, we look at the nervous system, regulation, and the difference between force and real strength. We explore how binary thinking shrinks possibility and why so many debates reward heat over light. Then we pivot toward what works: soul-aligned action fueled by compassion, empathy, and boundaries that don’t require contempt. You’ll hear practical steps to sweep your side of the street, regulate before you react, and choose words that build instead of burn. The conversation moves from the personal to the communal—how calmer bodies create kinder homes, which shape more resilient neighborhoods and communities. Parents and caregivers will find specific insight on modeling disagreement without dehumanization, teaching kids that firmness and kindness can coexist, and raising children who can hold their values without losing their humanity. If you’ve felt trapped by the headlines or tempted by the high of being right, this is your reset. Drop your shoulders, breathe deeper, and choose what you want to grow. If this lands, subscribe, share with a fellow overthinker, and leave a review to help others find the show. Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    10 min

  2. JAN 23

    Why Familiar Chaos Feels Safer Than Calm

    Ever set a goal and feel the abort signal before you even start? We dig into the quiet moment where self-doubt takes the wheel, name it anticipatory shutdown, and show how your nervous system isn’t sabotaging you—it’s trying to protect you. When your baseline is busyness, overthinking, and constant pressure, calm can feel suspicious. That’s homeostasis at work, pulling you back to what’s familiar even when it isn’t healthy. We unpack why the brain’s threat bias recycles old evidence—failed plans, awkward first tries—and edits the past into a story that blocks change. Instead of arguing with anxiety, we build a fuller narrative through targeted journal prompts that restore missing details like growth, support, and small wins. From there, we switch from willpower to felt safety: two-minute stillness practices, naming the urge to quit, and staying one breath longer. Those gentle reps teach your body that new habits are safe, activating the prefrontal cortex and giving you a real choice instead of a knee-jerk spiral. You’ll hear relatable examples from health goals to career pivots, plus practical language that keeps momentum without identity whiplash: I’m noticing, I’m experimenting, I’m curious. Resistance becomes information, not a verdict. The result is a humane path to change that doesn’t demand you bulldoze your nervous system. Breathe, unclench, and take the tiniest honest step—because once your body learns the new baseline, calm stops feeling dangerous and starts feeling like home. If you'd like the Anxiety Story Journal Prompts, you can download them here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wrSMfW3Kr9nENV252JZP83cHDGpSqO0b/view?usp=sharing If this resonated, subscribe, share it with a fellow overthinker, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. What tiny first step will you take today? Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    25 min

  3. JAN 13

    Why Intentions Calm An Anxious Mind And Create Real Change

    Ready to stop bracing for the other shoe to drop and start feeling guided instead of judged by your to-do list? We explore a simple but powerful shift: trading brittle, outcome-obsessed goals for gentle intentions that regulate your nervous system, expand your options, and create real change without the pressure to prove. We start with the body. Say goal and notice where you tense. Say intention and feel what opens. That somatic difference isn’t semantics—it’s your nervous system deciding whether growth will feel like a threat or a homecoming. We unpack why anxious, high-achieving minds often feel trapped in conditional safety—I’ll be okay once I get there—and how that bargain fuels vigilance, sleep without rest, and chronic overthinking. Then we dismantle the inherited myth of control (thanks, checklists) and replace it with a foundation of self-created safety that makes learning and flexibility possible. From there, we get practical. You’ll hear three daily intentions you can borrow, scripts to regulate before reacting, and a step-by-step way to translate hard-edged goals into humane orientations. We connect the science—regulation builds cognitive flexibility—with the spiritual—allowing aligns you with flow—so action becomes steadier and more creative. If decision fatigue, people-pleasing, and anxious perfectionism keep you stuck, this conversation offers a grounded path forward that’s kind to your body and honest with your mind. Want a simple next step? Grab the PDF from the show notes to turn your goals into intentions, then check in with your body: does it open or brace? If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend who needs gentler growth, and leave an honest review—tell us the intention you’re choosing this week. Get the PDF Guide Here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FCJ5qIp2TW5z3MDwurhmcFGPdr_UZSAH/view?usp=sharing Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    29 min

  4. JAN 6

    Unclenched, On Purpose

    What if reinvention didn’t require hustle, grit, or a spreadsheet of new habits—just the courage to meet yourself where you are? We open our new chapter with a simple promise: change can feel like alignment, not pressure. The rebrand to Unclenched Conversations with Nicole is less a makeover and more a marker of completion, a way to honor what served and step toward what feels true now. We dig into the nervous system as the thread running through our struggles with anxiety, ADHD, overthinking, and burnout. These aren’t moral failures; they’re signals. By seeing how the brain and body protect us, we trade shame for literacy and willpower for regulation. I share how trying to meditate “harder” never worked until I learned to prime my system with active practices—walking, rhythmic breath, guided focus—so passive stillness could finally land. That shift changed everything: clarity, safety, and the quiet I craved stopped being ideas and became lived experience. This conversation blends science and spirituality without asking for blind belief. We explore why mindfulness works on a physiological level, how regulation widens our capacity to choose, and what it means to elevate by truth instead of performance. You’ll hear practical prompts—Who is your next version? What feels expansive right now?—along with a grounded framework for approaching change without self-critique. If your mind runs a mile a minute and you still long for peace, this is your space to exhale, learn, and practice. Come with curiosity. Leave with language for your signals, tools that meet your real state, and permission to imagine again. If the idea of living a little more unclenched resonates, press play, subscribe, and share this with someone who’s ready to evolve by choice rather than pressure. Then tell us: what version of you wants more room today? Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    12 min

  5. 11/28/2025

    Why Schools Dodge Discipline: Funding, ADA, And OCR Explained

    What if the classroom chaos you’re managing isn’t a “behavior problem” or a “teacher problem,” but a money problem wearing a restorative justice mask? We pull back the curtain on how per-pupil funding, enrollment counts, average daily attendance, and civil rights compliance quietly steer discipline decisions—and why suspensions vanish even as disruptions spike. We break down the funding formula in plain English: a base dollar amount per student plus added weights for English learners, special education, poverty, grade level, and district type. Then we connect the dots to ADA, where each missed day becomes lost revenue, turning every removal into a budget decision. Add the pressure of disproportionality flags and potential OCR investigations, and you get a system that avoids formal discipline, reroutes students through informal pathways, and sends them back to class to keep the numbers clean. Along the way, we name the human cost the dashboards can’t see: teachers absorbing escalations, planning time evaporating, classmates losing hours of instruction, and communities mistaking lower suspension stats for genuine safety. We talk about why ISS often doesn’t happen—counted as a removal, under staffed, and expensive—and how Title I grants create the illusion of resources while tying services to narrow rules. We also dive into trauma and chronic stress, explaining how they reshape regulation and make de-escalation harder without real support, not just slogans. This conversation is a map: follow the incentives and you’ll understand the decisions. If you’ve been told to just “de-escalate” and “be compassionate” while your room burns, you’re not imagining the mismatch between language and reality. Ready to rethink the design? Press play, share this with a teacher bestie, and help us push for policies that fund real support, protect learning time, and stop treating teachers as shock absorbers. If this hit your soul or your sarcasm gland, subscribe, leave a review, and come hang out on Instagram at the burned out bee—let’s keep the real talk going. Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    28 min

  6. 11/22/2025

    From Rumination To Relief: The Neurobiology Behind Teacher Burnout

    What if burnout wasn’t a personal failing but a predictable brain response to constant pressure, rumination, and emotional labor extraction? We pull back the curtain on the neurobiology of teacher burnout and translate complex science into clear, useful steps you can use today. We start by separating reflection from rumination and explain how the brain treats replayed stress like it is happening now. You’ll hear how the insula amplifies emotional pain, the striatum chases approval until success can’t land, and the frontal lobe floors the gas in a never-ending fix-it loop. That cocktail pushes motivation into overdrive and makes rest feel unsafe. Then we pivot to hope: the same brain that gets stuck can open. Through meditation, awe, breath work, prayer, or time in nature, the default mode network quiets down and your ventral attention network wakes up, widening your field to beauty, meaning, and real options. From there, we explore the most healing shift of all—reigniting the relational circuits tied to connection and belonging. These networks are the antidote to burnout because they rewrite the inner story from “it’s all on me” to “I’m part of something bigger.” We share practical micro-practices: time-boxed neutral reflection, 60-second awe breaks, breath resets between classes, and small daily rituals that let wins land. Expect grounded science, zero toxic positivity, and a path back to clarity, empathy, and self-respect. You’re not broken, and you’re not alone. If this brought you relief or made you feel seen, subscribe, share it with a teacher bestie, and leave a review so more educators can find a way out of overdrive. Then come hang with us on Instagram at The Burned OutBee—let’s keep the real talk going. Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    17 min

  7. 11/08/2025

    Redefining “Good Teacher” Without Martyrdom

    The glossy “good teacher” lists look harmless until you read the fine print: love more, inspire constantly, and be willing to “do anything.” We pull that poster off the wall and take it apart, exposing how duty-laced love, performative inspiration, and endless adaptability become tools for empathy extraction and self-erasure. Instead of chasing approval through toxic positivity, we make a case for a teacher identity that is human first and sustainable by design. We walk through each buzzword—love, communication, adaptability, inspiration, determination, passion, organization—and translate the code. Love as a requirement becomes a moral trap. “Strong communicator” quietly loads all failure onto the teacher. Adaptability without support rewards shapeshifting over sanity. Inspiration morphs into entertainment. “Do anything” is martyrdom dressed as grit. Passion gets romanticized as infinite fuel. Organization drifts from clarity into compliance. Against that backdrop, we name an alternative: self-awareness, authenticity, grounded limits, co-creation, curiosity, and self-respect. These aren’t soft; they’re the backbone of real learning and the antidote to burnout. You’ll hear stories from the trenches—after-school “data theater,” compliments that feel like chains, and the quiet cost of staying late while your own kids wait at home. We center practical reframes: learning is shared, not shoved; boundaries are pedagogy; curiosity regenerates energy; self-respect models integrity. If you’ve ever been told to just be more passionate, this conversation offers language, clarity, and relief. Subscribe, share with a teacher bestie who needs it, and message “workshop” on Instagram at the burned out B to join us in unteaching the myth that broke us. Your worth was never measured by how much you can give away—come back whole and teach from there. Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    28 min

  8. 10/21/2025

    You Didn’t Marry The District; You Married Your Person

    The late-night grading. The careful tiptoeing from a partner who just wants you to rest. The belief that you’re the only one who can help. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken. We go straight at the quiet heartbreak of giving your best energy to a job that forgets you by Monday while your family learns to live with the leftovers. We talk about ego disguised as duty, the savior story many educators are handed, and what it looks like from the other side of the bed when someone loves you through burnout. You’ll hear practical language for saying no to extra emotional labor without abandoning students, and simple micro-resets you can use to shift from survival mode back into presence. We challenge the “only I can handle this” myth, unpack why boundaries are an act of care, and name the difference between living your values and merely surviving them. Most of all, we invite you to choose the people you actually married over the system you never did. Presence at home can be its own quiet rebellion: a 30-minute window with devices away, a curious question for your partner, a pause before you rescue yet another crisis. If your heart is tired and your house feels like a staging area for your job, this conversation offers new scripts, fresh courage, and a way back to connection. Subscribe, share this with a teacher bestie who needs it, and leave a review with one boundary you plan to hold this week—your future self will thank you. Thanks for listening! Connect with me on instagram: @theburnedoutb I'd love for you to message me what you thought, what it made you think about, your reflections, and of course what’s been coming up for your or causing you anxiety lately. I will never share your name or info unless you say it’s okay!

    20 min
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5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Unclenched Conversations, with Nicole is a podcast for thoughtful humans who want relief from anxiety, ADD/ADHD, depressive thoughts, overthinking, and burnout — and who want to understand why things work, not just be told to try them. Each episode explores the very real blocks we come up against as people (and especially as women): inherited conditioning, generational patterns, nervous system dysregulation, and the quiet expectations that keep us tense, responsible for everything, and disconnected from ourselves. This is where science and spirituality meet.  You’ll hear grounded conversations that weave together your human experience, psychology, and nervous system science with mindfulness, awareness practices, and lived human wisdom. There’s room for curiosity, a little woo — and the science that explains it. If you’ve ever wanted mindfulness to make sense, this podcast is for you. Nicole serves as a bridge between evidence-based understanding and inner experience, helping listeners see why a practice calms the body, why awareness changes behavior, and why regulation — not willpower — is the foundation for real change. Expect honest conversation, gentle humor, practical insight, and deep respect for your intelligence. No bypassing. No fixing. No pretending you’re fine. Just space to soften, understand yourself more deeply, and discover that there is a better way to live — one that doesn’t require constant tension. A Burned Out B production. 💥 New episodes weekly 💛 Follow on Instagram @theburnedoutb 🔥 Join the rebellion, reclaim your wholeness, and let’s burn the system down—not ourselves.

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