The ExtraOrdinary Self Podcast

Maria del Gaiso
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Self-Improvement

Welcome to The ExtraOrdinary Self Podcast—where we uncover the extraordinary hidden in the ordinary. I’m Maria del Gaiso, author of An Ordinary Girl’s Journey to Self-Love, and I believe that true transformation doesn’t come from becoming someone else—it comes from embracing who you already are. This podcast is a fresh take on the themes from my book—comparison, self-acceptance, confidence, and self-love—giving you new perspectives, real talk, and actionable tools to break free from self-doubt and step into your full power. Through deep conversations, thought-provoking insights, and personal stories, we’ll explore how the very things that make you feel "ordinary" are actually the foundation of your greatness. You don’t need to chase external validation or wait for a perfect moment—your extraordinary self is already within you. Let’s uncover it together. You are more than enough. You are extraordinary. mariadelgaiso.substack.com

  1. Aug 11

    Episode #64 I Used My Insecurities As Fuel

    What if the things we’re insecure about could actually become the things that move us forward? That’s something I’ve learned through my own fitness journey. A lot of the things that initially made me feel insecure became fuel for me to learn, get uncomfortable, try new things, and change. But the interesting part is that the fuel eventually changes. For me, what started as body image and wanting to change my body eventually led me much deeper—to confidence, self-worth, and questioning some of the stories I had been carrying about myself for years. In this episode, I’m sharing the things I’ve learned along the way: why I believe you have to choose your hard, why I never wanted to compromise my health for a physical goal, how questioning my own thinking became one of my greatest tools, and why following the fun and allowing yourself to evolve matters just as much as discipline. Because I don’t think the goal is to become a person who never feels insecure. I’m 45 and I still have things that come up. Aging is bringing its own questions and new places for me to practice what I’ve learned. The difference is that I don’t hold my insecurities as tightly anymore. I can notice them. Question them. Learn from them. Let them move through me. And sometimes I use them as fuel. Until I don’t need them anymore. Use it. Don’t become it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

    Episode #64 I Used My Insecurities As Fuel

  2. Jul 17

    Episode #63 I Do Have Regrets (And They've Been My Greatest Teachers)

    We’ve all had moments where we’ve thought... “If only I had...” Maybe it’s a relationship, a missed opportunity, a decision you wish you could take back, or simply time you wish you had spent differently. In this episode, we’re talking about something we all experience but don’t often admit out loud—regret. For years, I loved the phrase, “No regrets.” But the older I get, the more I realize I do have regrets. And instead of avoiding them or feeling ashamed of them, I’m learning to let them teach me. I share a couple of personal stories that have changed the way I look at regret, including losing my dog Jake and losing a close friend much too young. We also dive into Daniel Pink’s research on over 26,000 regrets from people around the world, the four regrets almost everyone experiences, and a simple process for working through regret without getting stuck in it. My hope is that if you’re carrying an “if only,” you’ll leave this episode feeling less alone, a little lighter, and with a new way of looking at your past. Because maybe regret isn’t here to punish us. Maybe it’s here to remind us what matters most. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

    Episode #63 I Do Have Regrets (And They've Been My Greatest Teachers)

  3. Jun 27

    Episode #62 You Don't Know Until You Do: The Four Layers of Healing

    What if healing is more than understanding your past? In this episode, I share the framework that transformed my own healing journey and why insight alone wasn’t enough to create lasting change. For years, I believed that if I could understand myself, I could heal myself. But eventually I discovered that awareness is only the beginning. Together, we’ll explore the four interconnected layers of healing: * Intellectual Intelligence – making sense of your patterns, beliefs, and core wounds. * Emotional Intelligence – learning to understand, feel, and trust your emotions instead of avoiding them. * Nervous System Intelligence – uncovering the hidden programming, protective parts, and survival responses that continue running old software long after the danger has passed. * Relational Intelligence – why many of our deepest wounds were created in relationship and can only be fully healed through safe, authentic connection with others. We’ll also discuss why healing happens in layers, how trauma can become an identity without us realizing it, the subtle addictions to people-pleasing, perfectionism, hypervigilance, and emotional avoidance, and why true freedom comes when your future becomes more important than your story. As a follower of Christ, I also share why I believe He is the Great Physician—not only because He heals our hearts, but because He continually reveals truth, transforms our interpretations, and often works through relationships to restore what was broken. If you’ve ever felt stuck, repeated the same patterns despite all the books, podcasts, and personal development work, or sensed that there’s more healing available than simply “knowing better,” this conversation is for you. Healing isn’t about becoming an expert on your pain. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

  4. Apr 14

    Episode #61 The Reason You Can’t Sit in Silence

    Silence used to be something we lived inside of. Now, it’s something we avoid. In this piece, I explore our growing discomfort with everyday, unfiltered silence—not the curated kind we associate with meditation or slow mornings, but the kind that exists when there’s nothing distracting us from our own thoughts. I reflect on what it was like to grow up in a time before constant stimulation, and how the shift into a hyper-connected world has changed our relationship with stillness. This is also a deeper look at what silence reveals. When the noise fades, we’re often left face-to-face with what we’ve been avoiding. I break down the difference between suppression and regulation—two internal responses that can look the same on the outside but feel very different within. One pushes feelings away. The other builds the capacity to sit with them. Silence, I’ve found, is where that distinction becomes clear. This isn’t about removing noise completely. It’s about noticing when we use it to disconnect from ourselves—and what becomes possible when we don’t. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

  5. Mar 22

    Episode #60 You’re Misunderstanding Your Emotions

    This episode explores a truth that quietly reshapes everything: What if the way you’ve learned to relate to your emotions… is all wrong? For most of my life, I lived in my mind—analyzing, intellectualizing, and trying to control what I felt. I believed that understanding my emotions would help me move through them faster. But instead, it kept me disconnected. In this episode, I share my personal journey from emotional avoidance to emotional awareness—and the moment I realized that emotions aren’t problems to solve, but messages to receive. We explore the idea that emotions are energy in motion—your body’s most efficient form of communication—and how labeling them as “good” or “bad” keeps us stuck in cycles of suppression or escape. I also introduce a powerful framework inspired by Dr. David Hawkins’ Scale of Consciousness, reframing emotions not as obstacles, but as invitations—each one asking something specific of us: * Fear asking for safety * Anger asking for truth and boundaries * Grief asking to be honored * Shame asking for self-acceptance This episode is an invitation to stop fixing, avoiding, and bypassing—and instead, to listen. Because when you begin to understand what your emotions are asking of you, you don’t stay stuck in them. You move through them. And in doing so… you come home to yourself. Love M. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

    Episode #60 You’re Misunderstanding Your Emotions

  6. Mar 15

    Episode #58 Why You Keep Self-Sabotaging (And It’s Not What You Think)

    Why do we sometimes sabotage the very things we say we want? In this episode, I unpack a realization I recently had about my own self-sabotage and the frustrating loop that can keep us stuck just below our potential. What if the issue isn’t discipline, talent, or ability? What if it’s safety? Our nervous system is designed to maintain the internal environment it recognizes as safe. Even positive changes like more success, visibility, love, or income can trigger resistance if they fall outside what our system considers familiar. So when we pull back right as something good is about to land, it may not be weakness. It may simply be our nervous system reacting to growth. In this episode I explore the idea of the “upper limit,” how our nervous system creates invisible glass ceilings, and how we can begin expanding our capacity for the life we want. Because often the real question isn’t “Why do I keep sabotaging this?” It’s “What does my nervous system believe is safe for me to have?” Love, M. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

    Episode #58 Why You Keep Self-Sabotaging (And It’s Not What You Think)

  7. Mar 6

    Episode #57 Peace Isn’t the Result of Growth — It’s the Proof

    Most of us think growth looks like progress. More clarity.More confidence.More things finally working out. But what if growth actually looks like peace? In this episode, we explore a powerful shift: measuring our lives not by what we achieve—but by how deeply anchored we remain when life is uncertain. Inspired by the teachings of Jim Fortin and the timeless wisdom of Jesus Christ, we dive into why peace may be the most honest indicator of emotional, psychological, and spiritual maturity. If you’ve ever wondered why success doesn’t always feel peaceful or why certain situations instantly steal your calm—this conversation may change how you define growth forever. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

  8. Feb 17

    Episode #56 Stop Punishing Yourself: The Second Wound We Create

    In this episode, I talk about pain—not the kind we can avoid, but the kind we add. I reflect on the Buddhist concept of the two arrows: the first is the pain life inevitably delivers. The second is the one we fire into ourselves—through resistance, denial, interpretation, and self-blame. The truth is, pain doesn’t become suffering until we argue with reality. This episode is an invitation to notice where you might be doing the same.Where truth feels uncomfortable.Where acceptance feels like defeat.And where compassion—not control—is actually the way through. If you’ve been feeling stuck, tender, or quietly exhausted from carrying more than necessary, this one is for you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mariadelgaiso.substack.com

    Episode #56 Stop Punishing Yourself: The Second Wound We Create
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Welcome to The ExtraOrdinary Self Podcast—where we uncover the extraordinary hidden in the ordinary. I’m Maria del Gaiso, author of An Ordinary Girl’s Journey to Self-Love, and I believe that true transformation doesn’t come from becoming someone else—it comes from embracing who you already are. This podcast is a fresh take on the themes from my book—comparison, self-acceptance, confidence, and self-love—giving you new perspectives, real talk, and actionable tools to break free from self-doubt and step into your full power. Through deep conversations, thought-provoking insights, and personal stories, we’ll explore how the very things that make you feel "ordinary" are actually the foundation of your greatness. You don’t need to chase external validation or wait for a perfect moment—your extraordinary self is already within you. Let’s uncover it together. You are more than enough. You are extraordinary. mariadelgaiso.substack.com

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