Alison Answers #MissionAwake Alison Lager LCSW, CASAC

We live in a society in which so many people walk around in a chronic state of stress without even realizing it. Living with constant stress has become such a norm, that we are not even aware of how dysregulated our nervous systems have become. Our nervous system is made up of two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. You may have heard of the sympathetic nervous system referred to as our “fight or flight” response. This is meant to keep us safe from danger, but we are not meant to be in this state at all times. The other part is our “rest and digest” nervous system, and this is where we are meant to operate on a regular basis.
Staying in a fight or flight mode diverts energy from rest and digest, and so many of us have forgotten how to rest and need to learn how to regulate our nervous system so we can operate from a place of peace. We have all had some sort of trauma in our lives, even collective trauma such as the pandemic, and it is important to understand how it affects us, how it lives within our bodies, and how to release it so it doesn’t hold us hostage. Phoebe Leona is here to teach us how to do that.
Phoebe Leona is an embodiment guide leader, author, and TEDx speaker. Through inspirational speaking, dancing, writing, somatic/movement practice, and transformational coaching, she is here to guide people to become the embodied leaders of our world. In this episode, she shares her story of watching her father suffer from PTSD, and how she found peace in dance and movement. Phoebe explains that our bodies, posture, injuries, illnesses, and relationships mirror the experiences of our lives. Bringing awareness to how they are connected is the first step to finding peace. Tune in for more!
Key highlights:
Phoebe’s background and childhoodHow people’s habits play out in their posture and bodiesWe are living in a chronically stressed world and Phoebe helps people move into the parasympathetic nervous systemGetting out of survival modePhoebe’s realization that she was addicted to chaosPhoebe explains the different chakras in our bodyIn the Western world, we love to put things in categories, but everything is connectedPhoebe walks us through a figure 8 exerciseEpisode resources:
Book: Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith
Connect with Phoebe:
Website: phoebeleona.com
Instagram: @phoebeleona.love
Get Phoebe’s book: Dear Radiant One
Connect with Alison:
Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling
Website: LagerCounseling.com
YouTube: Alison Answers
Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac
Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call”
Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE
Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE

In this solo episode, Alison defines what it means to be codependent, what it looks like, and why it is her mission to free the world of codependency. Codependency is the abandonment of self in order to please others. How often do you betray yourself in other to control how other views you? This is a plague in our society, and it stems from being taught as children to prioritize other people above ourselves.
Continuing to prioritize other people above ourselves makes us resentful people that become out of touch with what is most important to us. Codependent people do this because overall they want to be liked and have a fear of rejection, but ultimately always doing things for other people robs you of your identity and robs the other person of the opportunity to learn and do things for themselves. Tune in for more!
Connect with Alison:
Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling
Website: LagerCounseling.com
YouTube: Alison Answers
Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac
Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call”
Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE
Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE

In a world that is constantly seeking instant gratification, we have to listen in to those that have achieved success through a slow, steady, and proven process to remind us that great achievements do not happen overnight. Mike Sherrard is here to teach us about what it takes to be successful, and what the path looks like to get there. This means setting your eyes on what it is you want to achieve and embracing that delayed gratification. 
Mike Sherrard is a successful real estate agent that decided to sharpen his skills in one area and changed his whole life. After leaving his career as an Engineer, he decided to reinvent himself and dive into the real estate industry because he was not impressed with what he had seen in the industry thus far. Mike knew that if he committed to learning how to provide a better client experience, the reward would pay off. Instead of taking the traditional route and doing what other realtors were doing, Mike became an expert in marketing and branding and become the top producer in his brokerage. Now he helps other real estate agents put out engaging content that converts.
In this episode, Mike shares valuable lessons about how to use constructive criticism to grow, the importance of taking care of yourself first, and what it means to consider how others experience you. With a lot of noise on social media about what we should be doing to be successful, Mike’s refreshing advice is to focus on one thing. Getting really great in one area will transfer into significant results over time if you put in the effort. Tune in for more!
Key points:
How Mike used other people’s doubt as fuelThe importance of listening to constructive criticismRelationships and feedback are critical for businessConsidering how other people perceive you and their experience of youHow Mike runs his business priorities Why you need to pour into yourself before you pour into the worldMike’s advice to someone feeling defeated Connect with Mike Sherrard:
YouTube: Mike Sherrard
Instagram: @mike_sherrard
Website: MikeSherrard.com
Connect with Alison:
Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling
Website: LagerCounseling.com
YouTube: Alison Answers
Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac
Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call”
Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE
Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE

This episode is part 2 of a therapeutic psychological session with Alison’s guest Karen. In the last episode, Alison and Karen began discussing Karen’s current struggles and exploring her traumatic past and upbringing. Through Karen’s vulnerability in sharing her story and therapeutic experience, she allows you to walk alongside her journey. Although your story may be totally different, it can be therapeutic for you to hear Karen’s brave quest for truth and freedom.
Throughout childhood and up until about age 7, we are in theta brain waves and in an almost hypnotic state so that we can learn and absorb the world around us. If that world feels unsafe or unstable, it can affect us into adulthood without us realizing it. Experiencing insecurity or traumatic events can have a lasting effect that should be addressed later in life so that we can heal. Allowing our inner child to fully express what they couldn’t say when we were younger, and working to heal the pain that child experienced, can provide peace and healing for our adult-self.
In this episode, Karen shares more about her worries about her past affecting her current relationships and not wanting to constantly feel fearful or anxious. She has felt that she has done everything she is supposed to do to heal, yet still finds herself stuck. Alison walks Karen through practices of allowing her inner child to express what she needs to so she can finally feel safe. 
Key points:
Alison explains what happens when we are in survival mode Alison explains a “shame attack’ How Karen feels her mother’s death has impacted her 12-year-old selfAlison explains that Karen has been doing outside work, but needs to go inward and heal “little Karen”How do we find love for ourselves?All feelings want to be felt and if you don't then they take over Connect with Alison:
Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling
Website: LagerCounseling.com
YouTube: Alison Answers
Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac
Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call”
Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE
Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE

This episode of Alison Answers #MissionAwake podcast is part 1 of 2 of a therapeutic psychological session with Alison’s guest Karen. With Alison’s background as a therapist for over 30 years, her mission is to help others heal and find freedom from the internal battles that have so many of us feeling lost. Through Karen’s vulnerability in sharing her story and therapeutic experience, she allows you to walk alongside her journey to freedom from her trauma and internal struggles. A huge problem in our society is that most people try to fix external things in order to fix internal problems, but that will never work. As Alison listens to Karen’s story, she is able to hear the external, and zoom in on the internal to guide Karen to healing.
By listening to another person’s healing journey, it can provide healing for yourself in some way as you may resonate with some of the feelings Karen shares. Although your story may be completely different, all of our battles are valid, and hearing someone so vulnerably share can help you as well.


In this episode, Karen walks us through her unstable childhood, which led to traumatic teenage years, regretful decisions, and pain that carried into adulthood. By giving a voice to her scared and lost inner child, she is able to recognize that she did what she needed to in order to survive and that it is okay to let the voice of her inner child be heard, validated, and acknowledged in order to heal. Tune in next week for part 2 of this therapeutic session with Karen.


Connect with Alison:
Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling
Website: LagerCounseling.com
YouTube: Alison Answers
Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac
Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call”
Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE
Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE

This is an episode very dear to Alison’s heart as her guest is someone that helped her through a tragic time in her life. Mark St. John was a stranger that reached out to Alison to help her through the devastating loss of her husband to suicide. Sharing personal experience and pain, Mark shed immense light on the effects that PTSD has on the brain and helps us understand what PTSD feels like, as well as his hope that his story will show others that there is hope and healing. 
Having worked as an officer for many years, Mark witnessed countless tragedies and terrifying situations, and as many first responders and military personnel do, he pushed it all deep down and tried to push onward. Being someone of service often means being taught to detach from emotions in order to confront terrible circumstances and be able to encounter situations that most people would run the other direction from. For Mark and many people, this results in all of the emotions bubbling up and feeling unmanageable, resulting in symptoms of PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Mark opens up about what that felt like and how it eventually pushed him to want to end it all, giving us a glimpse into the suicide mind. 

Mark’s story is incredibly important for everyone to hear because all too often, people bury their emotions until they feel like too much to bear. It is imperative that everyone knows the significance, hope, healing, and human connection that lies in getting help early. Asking for help is a sign of incredible strength, not weakness, and that goes for anyone in any circumstance that feels like too much to carry alone. 

Key highlights:
Mark’s backstory of working as an officer and being diagnosed with PTSD Mark explains what PTSD feels like and how it manifested for himHow our brain makes connections with triggers and trauma Mark explains what was going through his mind when he felt suicide was the only optionAlison explains why PTSD often results in forgetfulness and makes previously simple tasks more complicatedMark’s message telling others to do the strong thing and get help early Alison’s message to military and first responders about getting help early and her mission to change the way PTSD is addressedAlison shares her connection with Mark and how he helped her understand her husband’s mind after she lost him to suicide 
Episode resources:
Purchase Alison’s book: “The Wake Up Call”
All proceeds from the book benefit Operation Underground Railroad: https://www.ourrescue.org/
Connect with Alison:
Instagram: @alisonanswers | @lagercounseling
Website: LagerCounseling.com
YouTube: Alison Answers
Facebook: Alison Lager Lcsw Casac
Alison Answers Facebook Group: Join HERE
Women of Excellence FB group: Join HERE