Anchored & Alive with Blaze

Blaze Schwaller
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Mental Health
  • Weekly

Anchored & Alive is seasonal living and grounded support for sensitive women who are ready to stop forcing growth and start living in rhythm with their energy and with the natural cycles of the year. If you're emotionally overwhelmed, burnt out from pushing harder, or tired of trying to "fix" yourself every January, this podcast offers a steadier way forward. Each week, Blaze explores burnout recovery, boundaries, communication, rest, and sustainable growth — all through the lens of the turning year. Because you don't need constant reinvention. You need support that moves with the natural cycles of the seasons - and with your own. Through lived reflection and grounded tools, you'll build emotional steadiness that lasts instead of motivation that fades. The podcast opens the conversation. The Anchored & Alive course and seasonal gatherings hold the container for deeper, supported integration. 🌿 New here? Grab the free Living in Rhythm Toolkit to start your journey. (Visit anchoredandalive.com) New episodes every week. Let's Anchor In, and Come Alive.

  1. 6d ago

    Why Letting Go Is So Hard: The Emotional Weight of Ending a Goal, Habit, or Identity

    You know it's time to let go. You've decided it would be better for you. And yet... you can't. Why is releasing a goal, a habit, a project, or even a daily walk so freaking hard, even when we know it's time? In this episode, Blaze explores the emotional weight of letting go: the sunk-cost voice that insists you've invested too much to stop, the terror of quitting right before the breakthrough, and the strange anti-climax of actually reaching a goal only to think, "Okay... now what?" She shares her own experience of an abrupt ending — the sudden injury that ended her tattooing career overnight — and what it taught her about losing not just an activity, but an entire identity. Blaze also explores the autumn mirror: how squirrels hoarding for winter mirror our own seasonal instinct to consolidate, pull back, and stop sharing — and why wanting space this time of year isn't rejection, it's rhythm. She offers real solidarity instead of advice ("I don't know what you need to do next, and I won't pretend I do"), and shares the trust she's earned through years of cycles: the next thing always comes. Inspiration always returns. If you're in the in-between: grieving a goal, standing at the vista reassessing everything, unable to announce your next move — this episode is permission to be exactly there, without hurrying. You can read a full transcript of this episodeon letting go here.  If you're moving through a season of letting go and want support identifying your true values underneath it all, download the free Living in Rhythm Starter Kit. Or join the community receiving Soul Letters, Blaze's monthly newsletter, for steady companionship through every season.

    Why Letting Go Is So Hard: The Emotional Weight of Ending a Goal, Habit, or Identity

  2. Oct 19

    What Level of Done Is Done? Knowing When a Project or Goal Is Complete

    Nobody hands us a deadline for our own lives. In school, tasks arrived on your desk and completion was clear: you finished it, handed it in, got the next thing. As adults, and especially as artists, entrepreneurs, and self-directed people, we have to decide for ourselves when something is done. And that turns out to be a skill nobody taught us. In this episode, Blaze digs into the nitty-gritty of completion: when to keep going, when to push harder, when to adjust the goalpost, and when to simply call something done — even halfway through. She explores why we're so uncomfortable with empty space between projects, why we secretly await a confetti-spill moment that never comes, and why realizing that no one else cares about the particulars of your goals is liberating, not sad. Along the way, Blaze shares how she uses friction as diagnostic information (when she's snapping at everyone, what need isn't being met?) and her own tender realization that she's ready to be complete with micromanaging her daughter's choices. She also opens up about the crushing weight of modern decision-making (kindergarten choices included) and why autumn's quiet is the right season for letting go. You can always pick things back up. Nothing is truly done, because you are still changing. And the shape, color, and velocity of your goals get to change with you. You can read the full transcript of What Level of Done is Done here. If this episode has you re-examining what you're carrying, the free Living in Rhythm Starter Kit can help you identify your true values and move with your feelings instead of against them. Or join the community receiving Soul Letters, Blaze's monthly newsletter, for a steady rhythm of honest seasonal reflection.

    What Level of Done Is Done? Knowing When a Project or Goal Is Complete

  3. Oct 15

    Creative Rest in Fall: How to Gather Ideas Without Forcing Completion

    Artist Sarah Bush returns to explore autumn's creative rhythm: how to gather ideas without forcing completion, honor unfinished work as legitimate, and trust dormancy seasons without drama. Together we discuss what happens when energy doesn't match ambition: the reality of creating at fall's edge, why showing work-in-progress can be radical affirmation, and how gardening taught us to trust co-creation over control. This conversation is for creatives and everyday women feeling fried at summer's end but not ready to surrender to winter mode. You can read a full transcript of this bonus collaborative episode here. And, if you'd like to dive deeper, you can check out Sarah Bush's offerings on her Substack The Pink Teacup, or learn more about Blaze's seasonal gatherings and programs at anchoredandalive.com.

    Creative Rest in Fall: How to Gather Ideas Without Forcing Completion

  4. Oct 12

    What Counts as Enough: Redefining Accomplishment Beyond Society's Standards

    "Am I enough? Have I done enough this year?" It's October, and that question hums underneath so many of our days. In this episode, Blaze takes on enoughness: how we define it, where our standards actually come from, and why the ruler we measure ourselves with was never real to begin with. Blaze gets honest about her own inner demons: the voice that calls her lazy, the standards around beauty and productivity that knock around her brain — and explores why swinging to the opposite extreme ("laziness is great!") never works, because your inner self knows a lie when it hears one. Instead, she offers a third way: recognizing your self-judgment as one lens among many, and getting curious about what was actually going on in your year. Through her own examples of walks measured as information rather than world records, the envy of neighbors with 401(k)s, and the things she deliberately chose not to carry this year, Blaze shows how to replace snap judgments with curiosity, and why restraint and things left undone count as part of enough. This episode won't tell you to lower your standards or pretend everything is great. It invites you to redefine what counts as effort, see your year in its real context, and become someone you can rely on to be a kind encourager rather than your own harshest critic. You can read a full transcript of his episode here. If you'd like to explore more of this work, you can find the podcast, resources and other ways to work with me at anchoredandalive.com

    What Counts as Enough: Redefining Accomplishment Beyond Society's Standards

  5. Oct 5

    What Was Real This Year — What Your Actions Tell You About Your True Values

    What did you actually care about this year, and what were you just performing? In this episode, Blaze turns to the emotional truth of your year: distinguishing what came from your heart from what you showed up for out of obligation. Using her own year of "belonging" as an example, Blaze explores how your life is less a list of goals and more a living ecosystem: a home, a business, a body, a community; all connected like a forest. She shares a vulnerable realization about the energetic cost of certain roles (like motivating or managing others), and why knowing what you'll never do is just as valuable as knowing what you love. You'll learn why what you actually did — not what you said you cared about — reveals your true values, why resistance is information rather than a character flaw, and how to give the person you are on your best and worst days some genuine appreciation. This episode is an invitation to stop pushing through out of principle, start trusting what you already know about yourself, and find the freedom to live your life from a place of alignment instead of performance. You can read a full transcript of this episode here. If you'd like to explore more of this work, you can find the podcast, resources and other ways to work with me at anchoredandalive.com

    What Was Real This Year — What Your Actions Tell You About Your True Values

  6. Sep 28

    Reading the Feedback From Your Year: What Your Efforts Actually Produced

    Last week, we looked at what happened this year as a whole, including all the things you planned along with what you didn't plan but that happened anyway. Now comes the more nuanced work of reading it. In this episode, Blaze helps you sort your year into complete, incomplete, and unfinished, then shows how unexpected events (like her basement floods, solar panels, and health appointments) legitimately consumed hours your self-concept never accounted for. She walks through the lived evidence of her own year: the garden that grew, the email list signups, the 40-listens threshold, the viola set aside. It's honest math for long timelines — you're at signpost 3, not signpost 100 — and the things that got derailed were derailed because your energy went to things you'd choose again anyway. That's not failure; that's alignment. You can read a full transcript of this episode here. If you'd like to explore more of this work, you can find the podcast, resources and other ways to work with me at anchoredandalive.com

    Reading the Feedback From Your Year: What Your Efforts Actually Produced

  7. Sep 21

    Review Your Year Without Judgment: An Honest Look at What Actually Happened

    Nine months into the year, most of us are carrying a secret tension: the map we started with is not the same the road we actually traveled. In this episode, Blaze walks you through a reality-based year review — no judgment, no fixing, no scoring yourself against who you thought you'd be by now. She shares her own full year: the podcast reboot, building a garden from scratch while a family of ravens nested overhead, the solar panel crisis, the water tank disaster, the first big family trip in years, perimenopause surprises, and a deep reckoning with how she wants to use (or not use) AI and technology in her creative work and daily life. If you're tired of measuring yourself against social media's highlight reels and want to know where you actually stand right now, this is the clean assessment you need. And next week, Blaze will help you figure out what to do with this information. You can read a full transcript of this episode here. If you'd like to explore more of this work, you can find the podcast, resources and other ways to work with me at anchoredandalive.com

    Review Your Year Without Judgment: An Honest Look at What Actually Happened

  8. Sep 14

    You Don't Need a Fresh Start This September: Finding Your Place on the Track

    Summer's expansion is fading, autumn's structure hasn't landed, and the pressure to immediately reinvent ourselves is everywhere this month. In this episode, Blaze explores why we instinctively constrict and lock down harsh new routines when we crave control, and why writing out big plans (even if we never do them all) can be a healthy act of dreaming, as long as we balance it with an honest reckoning of what we've already done this year. Blaze shares her own year's highlights: her daughter blooming on stage, magical fairs discovered with a visiting friend, learning to recognize individual raven voices in her garden — alongside her ongoing struggles with perimenopause and modeling self-kindness for her daughter entering puberty. If you're feeling the end-of-year panic to gather more nuts, this episode is permission to stop sprinting: you don't need a new routine, a fresh start, or a perfect plan. Right now is just about placing yourself where you are on your track. You can read a full transcript of this episode here.   If you'd like to explore more of this work, you can find the podcast, resources and other ways to work with me at anchoredandalive.com

    You Don't Need a Fresh Start This September: Finding Your Place on the Track
See All (57)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Anchored & Alive is seasonal living and grounded support for sensitive women who are ready to stop forcing growth and start living in rhythm with their energy and with the natural cycles of the year. If you're emotionally overwhelmed, burnt out from pushing harder, or tired of trying to "fix" yourself every January, this podcast offers a steadier way forward. Each week, Blaze explores burnout recovery, boundaries, communication, rest, and sustainable growth — all through the lens of the turning year. Because you don't need constant reinvention. You need support that moves with the natural cycles of the seasons - and with your own. Through lived reflection and grounded tools, you'll build emotional steadiness that lasts instead of motivation that fades. The podcast opens the conversation. The Anchored & Alive course and seasonal gatherings hold the container for deeper, supported integration. 🌿 New here? Grab the free Living in Rhythm Toolkit to start your journey. (Visit anchoredandalive.com) New episodes every week. Let's Anchor In, and Come Alive.

Information

  • Creator
    Blaze Schwaller
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Blaze Schwaller
  • Show Website
    Anchored & Alive with Blaze