Magic Seeds

Laura R. Gries

Join Dr. Adam Gries, DACM, L.AC. and Laura Gries, Health & Spiritual Coach on their weekly podcast where they discuss how to navigate life's highs, lows, and everything in between. As professional spiritual and life coaches, they offer a holistic approach to finding peace and happiness using ancient wisdom. They cover topics such as setting good boundaries, love, marriage, raising children, finding your purpose, and more. With guests and in-depth discussions on personal experiences, their show gives listeners a roadmap to living in harmony and getting the most out of life. Tune in weekly and connect with their community on their website and social media pages. Don't miss out on the opportunity to live your best life today!

  1. FEB 26

    Episode 129: Safety Changes Everything: Health, Relationships, and Leadership

    Nothing thrives without safety.   In this episode, we explore safety not as a soft idea, but as a biological requirement for healing, connection, and growth. From a physiological standpoint, the nervous system must detect safety before digestion improves, immune function strengthens, empathy becomes accessible, and creativity returns. Healing simply does not occur in a threatened state.   We examine why so many people appear guarded right now. Guarded in conversations. Guarded in workplaces. Guarded in relationships. What can look like hostility or division is often protection. When people do not feel safe, they brace. They defend. They withdraw. They polarize. This guarding is not a character flaw; it is a protective adaptation.   Through the lens of leadership, we reflect on what exceptional leadership actually requires. True leadership does not rely on force, urgency, or intimidation. It creates an environment where others can lower their defenses. The leaders people trust most regulate themselves first. They do not escalate chaos. They offer steadiness rather than dominance. People do not follow the loudest voice; they follow the safest one.   This principle extends into parenting, partnerships, teaching, healing work, and community life. The question shifts from “Am I right?” to “Am I creating safety right now?” When safety is present, people listen. When it is absent, people protect.   Safety is not weakness. It is the foundation that allows strength to emerge without violence.   If this conversation resonates and you would like structured practices for cultivating emotional safety and nervous system resilience, our online membership and programs are available at Awakeningsonline.net. For in-person care and integrative health services in Raleigh, visit Awakeningshealth.com.

    23 min
  2. FEB 21

    Episode 128: Why Everyone Feels On Edge; Safety is the New Success

    If you’ve been feeling tense, reactive, more tired than usual, or quietly braced even when nothing obvious is wrong, this conversation is for you.   In this episode, we explore the idea that what so many people are experiencing right now is not a personal failure, but a nervous system response to prolonged uncertainty. We are living in an era of chronic unpredictability, and the human body was never designed to remain in vigilance for years at a time. When uncertainty becomes constant, the nervous system shifts into protection. That protection can look like anxiety, irritability, numbness, withdrawal, overthinking, or anger that surprises even the person feeling it.   Rather than asking what is wrong with us, we consider a different question: what has our nervous system been living inside of? The body does not respond to logic alone. It responds to lived experience. This is why mindset work, willpower, and positive thinking often feel insufficient when the body is still scanning for danger. You cannot convince your nervous system that it is safe; you have to show it.   We also explore the impact of collective stress. Even when our personal lives appear stable, the broader emotional climate around us is processed individually in the body. Chronic exposure to division, crisis, and social tension can leave people depleted and guarded, not because they are weak or negative, but because they are physiologically overwhelmed.   This episode is ultimately an invitation toward compassion. You are not broken. You are responding. Understanding your nervous system is the first step toward real change.   If you would like to go deeper into embodied emotional health and nervous system restoration, you can explore our online programs at Awakeningsonline.net. For those local to Raleigh, our integrative health and wellness clinic offers hands-on support at Awakeningshealth.com.

    23 min
  3. JAN 20

    Episode 125: Lions, Tigers and Teens Oh My!

    Parenting in the tween and teen years asks something new of us. As emotions intensify, autonomy grows, and hormones shift—for our children and often for us—it becomes easy to confuse emotional intelligence with emotional permissiveness. In this episode, we explore what it truly means to honor big feelings without losing structure, leadership, or authority in the home.   We speak honestly about a tension many parents are navigating right now: wanting to validate emotions while also raising respectful, responsible, capable humans who understand that feelings do not replace responsibility. Emotional expression is essential, but it does not eliminate the need for clear expectations, guidance, and follow-through. Children need room to feel, and they also need adults who can lead calmly and predictably—especially when emotions run high.   This conversation centers on the importance of prioritizing structure first. Responsibilities, tone, and basic expectations are not negotiated in the heat of the moment. When leadership is consistent, children feel safer rather than controlled. Once responsibilities are met and nervous systems have settled, curiosity becomes the bridge. That is when we can explore what was happening internally, where emotions came from, and how awareness can lead to growth—without reinforcing avoidance or resistance.   We also reflect on how modern parenting culture can unintentionally place too much responsibility on children to regulate situations that require adult containment. When boundaries dissolve into constant negotiation, children may feel momentary power but long-term overwhelm. Clear structure paired with emotional attunement supports true self-regulation, resilience, and emotional maturity. This episode is an invitation to return to confident, compassionate leadership. To trust that holding the container is not harsh—it is loving. And to remember that emotional intelligence is not about removing structure, but about knowing when to lead with steadiness and when to lean in with curiosity, once the moment has passed.   For those who wish to continue this conversation or deepen their personal growth, we offer ongoing emotional wellness education, practices, and community through our online membership at AwakeningsOnline.net.   For local, in-person clinical and wellness services, including acupuncture, massage, yoga, and integrative care, you can learn more at AwakeningsHealth.com.

    33 min
  4. 12/30/2025

    Episode 124: Awaken Hearts in a Frozen World

    We live in a world that has taught us how to think, achieve, produce, and perform—but not how to feel and stay present with what we feel.   In this episode, we explore why emotional intelligence (EQ) has become one of the most essential survival skills of our time. As technology accelerates, nervous systems overload, and connection becomes increasingly virtual, many people find themselves emotionally frozen—numb, reactive, disconnected, or overwhelmed by feelings they were never taught how to process.   This conversation dives into how emotional freezing happens slowly and protectively, not as a failure but as an intelligent response to stress and overstimulation. We reflect on the difference between expressing emotion and integrating emotion, why avoiding feelings adds layer upon layer of disconnection, and how unprocessed emotion eventually shows up in our bodies, behaviors, relationships, and health.   We also explore the role children play as mirrors in this moment—why “big feelings” aren’t the problem, and how our own capacity to stay present directly shapes how the next generation learns to regulate, feel, and stay connected.   This episode gently reframes EQ not as a soft skill, but as a foundational capacity for living fully in a crowded, fast-moving, emotionally complex world. Emotional intelligence is not about drowning in feelings or fixing them—it’s about awareness, presence, and allowing emotion to move without disappearing ourselves.   This conversation marks the beginning of something bigger—an ongoing exploration into emotional presence, nervous system health, and learning how to stay unfrozen in a world that constantly pulls us away from ourselves. These themes are part of a larger body of work currently unfolding, including Laura’s upcoming book MELT, which dives deeply into emotional integration and staying present through life’s intensity.   For continued support, practices, and deeper exploration: Visit AwakeningsOnline.net to learn more about our membership programs Visit AwakeningsHealth.com to explore our holistic health clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina   Thank you for being here and for choosing to stay present.

    33 min
  5. 12/28/2025

    Episode 123: Mel Robbins’ “Let Them” Meets the Awakenings Seasonal Cycle

    What if Mel Robbins’ “Let Them Theory” isn’t just a mindset shift, but an entire season inside the emotional and personal growth journey?   In this episode, Laura and Adam explore how Let Them fits directly into the Autumn Let-Go Phase of the Awakenings Seasonal Cycle—a framework used in whole-health coaching, emotional hygiene, and nervous system regulation. You’ll learn why releasing control, people-pleasing, and emotional over-responsibility frees your energy instantly, setting the stage for deeper healing, boundary clarity, and emotional maturity.   Then we move through the full cycle of transformation: Autumn (Release) → Winter (Stabilize) → Spring (Renew) → Summer (Embody) …showing how each phase helps you build emotional freedom, strengthen inner leadership, and grow beyond old patterns.   Whether you're practicing the Let Them Theory, navigating emotional boundaries, or stepping into a new season of wellness and self-development, this episode gives you a clear, holistic map for moving forward.   You’ll discover:   Why “Let Them” naturally aligns with the Autumn letting-go season   How to use it as a tool for nervous system regulation   How to stop absorbing other people’s reactions   What season comes next in the personal growth process   How cyclical transformation supports long-term wellness and self-awareness   This conversation is rooted in coaching, wellness, and holistic transformation—offering practical skills that go far beyond mindset alone.   For more tools, education, meditations, and emotional first-aid practices, visit AwakeningsOnline.net. For in-person wellness services in Raleigh, NC—including acupuncture, coaching, and integrative health—visit AwakeningsHealth.com

    39 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Join Dr. Adam Gries, DACM, L.AC. and Laura Gries, Health & Spiritual Coach on their weekly podcast where they discuss how to navigate life's highs, lows, and everything in between. As professional spiritual and life coaches, they offer a holistic approach to finding peace and happiness using ancient wisdom. They cover topics such as setting good boundaries, love, marriage, raising children, finding your purpose, and more. With guests and in-depth discussions on personal experiences, their show gives listeners a roadmap to living in harmony and getting the most out of life. Tune in weekly and connect with their community on their website and social media pages. Don't miss out on the opportunity to live your best life today!