Root & Rewire - The science of self-healing, from nervous system to self-worth.

Jessica Baker
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  • MENTAL HEALTH

Root & Rewire is the podcast for anyone ready to break free from old patterns and reclaim their life. Each week, we explore the science behind why we think, feel and act the way we do - from brain chemistry and hormones to nervous systems responses and behavioural habits.  With a mix of psychology, neuroscience and real-life stories, we uncover the root causes of self-sabotage, people-pleasing, limiting beliefs, anxiety, numbing and masking, and provide practical tools to rewire your system for lasting change.

Episodes

  1. 12/17/2025

    When Thinking Traps You: Break the Overthinking Loop

    In this episode we unpack why overthinking is a stress response, not a character flaw, and how your body drives the loop through cortisol, the amygdala and small dopamine hits. Learn simple, science-backed practices to ground your nervous system, interrupt the dopamine cycle, use soothing language, and contain worry with scheduled thinking time. Practical tips include slow extended exhales, grounding exercises (5-4-3-2-1), mindful movement, and improving sleep and routine to support cortisol regulation. The episode ends with a short guided breath to help you bring safety into the body so the mind can settle.

    8 min

  2. 12/09/2025

    Saying No Without Fear: Rewiring the People-Pleasing Brain

    This episode explores why saying no can feel terrifying, explaining people-pleasing as the fawn trauma response and how childhood wiring, mirror neurons, and hormones link approval to safety. It offers practical tools, micro-boundaries, somatic anchors, boundary language swaps, and gentle reflection, to create physiological safety and retrain your nervous system. Expect discomfort, move slowly with compassion, and remember that boundaries are acts of self-respect that help you find relationships that truly fit.

    8 min

  3. 12/06/2025

    When Your Body Shuts Down: Understanding the Freeze Response

    In this episode of Root and Rewire, we explore the freeze response, the nervous system's shutdown reaction that looks like numbness, paralysis, or lack of motivation. We explain the polyvagal ladder, the dorsal vagal shutdown, and why freeze is a protective, physiological response rather than a personal failing. Listen for practical, gentle tools to help thaw freeze: grounding sensations, micro-movements, tiny actionable steps, safety statements, and regulation techniques to restore clarity and momentum. Be kind to your nervous system, understanding freeze helps you work with it, not against it.

    8 min

  4. 12/03/2025

    When Your Body Freezes: The Biology Behind 'Procrastination'

    Welcome back to Root and ReWire, where we bridge neuroscience, psychology and the human heart. In this episode we explore the freeze response,  the shutdown that looks like laziness or avoidance but is actually a protective pause when the nervous system perceives danger. We explain what freeze feels like, why it happens, and practical, gentle strategies to thaw it: small safe actions, sensory grounding, gradual movement, and compassionate self-talk so energy can return and you can move at your own pace.

    3 min

  5. 11/26/2025

    Why You Keep Self-Sabotaging (And How to Stop)

    In this episode we explore self-sabotage as a nervous-system driven protection rather than a failure of will. You’ll learn how dopamine, reward prediction errors and cortisol create a cycle of spikes and crashes that push you back to familiar safety. Practical tools are offered to slow the crash, celebrate micro-wins, replace avoidance with grounding, and build small repeatable routines so your brain learns that steady progress is safe. The goal is to shift from shame to curiosity and to build trust with your system one small action at a time.

    9 min

  6. 11/19/2025

    When Yes Feels Unsafe: The Biology of People-Pleasing

    Root and Rewire explores how people-pleasing is not a personality flaw but a nervous system fawn response learned for safety. This episode breaks down the biology, amygdala activation, stress hormones, and oxytocin reinforcement, and explains why saying no can feel threatening. Practical steps are offered: notice bodily signals of the fawn response, pause before answering, and practice small boundary-setting actions that reinforce internal safety. A brief grounding breathing exercise helps retrain the body to tolerate discomfort and choose from presence instead of fear. Overall, the episode guides listeners to understand their wiring, build safety within the body, and gently rewire old patterns toward healthier boundaries and connection.

    8 min

  7. 11/12/2025

    Why We Repeat Painful Patterns, It’s Not Your Fault

    Welcome to Root and Rewire, where neuroscience, psychology and the human heart meet. In this episode we unpack why we keep repeating painful patterns, not because we’re broken, but because our nervous system treats familiar behaviour as safe. We explain how the amygdala and neural pathways reinforce survival-based habits, why change feels uncomfortable, and how small acts like pausing, breathing and asking “what is my body protecting me from?” can start to rewire the brain. With compassion over criticism, this episode offers practical insight and gentle tools to turn awareness into safety and begin choosing freedom over familiar pain.

    6 min
  • 7 Episodes

About

Root & Rewire is the podcast for anyone ready to break free from old patterns and reclaim their life. Each week, we explore the science behind why we think, feel and act the way we do - from brain chemistry and hormones to nervous systems responses and behavioural habits.  With a mix of psychology, neuroscience and real-life stories, we uncover the root causes of self-sabotage, people-pleasing, limiting beliefs, anxiety, numbing and masking, and provide practical tools to rewire your system for lasting change.

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