Your Body Knows

Shanetta McDonald
  • 4.7 (37)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Biweekly

Your Body Knows is a podcast for women who are tired of surviving and ready to create lives that actually feel good to live. Hosted by intuitive living coach, writer, and veteran publicist Shanetta McDonald, this podcast explores burnout, nervous system regulation, intuition, creativity, and the messy, beautiful work of coming home to yourself. Through honest conversations, coaching insights, and personal reflections, you'll learn how to stop repeating old patterns, trust your inner wisdom, and build a life that feels more manageable, aligned, and true to who you are. Whether you're navigating motherhood, a career transition, or simply asking, "Is this really the life I want?" you're in the right place. Your body already knows the way. Let's listen.

  1. May 21

    Presence Over Performance w/Melanie Santos

    In this episode, I’m joined by writer, creator, and guide Melanie Santos for a conversation about embodiment, intention, and what it really means to come home to yourself. We talk about Melanie’s journey from disconnection and navigating mental health struggles in silence to building a body of work rooted in presence, integration, and everyday healing. And together, we explore the tension between spirituality and real life, the pressure to perform wellness instead of live it, and how identity, culture, motherhood, grief, and transformation shape the way we access ourselves. This conversation is an invitation to slow down, reconnect, and consider what it looks like for your life to become the work. Connect with me: Book your Clarity Call: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/somatic-coachingResources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

  2. Apr 30

    Why “If I Can Do It, You Can Too” Doesn’t Work

    This week, I’m unpacking the “work harder and you’ll succeed” narrative and why it keeps missing the mark. I break down the real reason this messaging doesn’t land for so many women, especially Black women and mothers. Spoiler, we aren't lacking ambition or discipline. But we are lacking acknowledgment around capacity. I explore what capacity actually means, how your nervous system impacts your ability to follow through, and why one-size-fits-all success advice often leads to burnout, shame, and self-doubt. I also share practical ways to start working with your capacity instead of constantly overriding it. This Sunday, May 3rd in LA, I'm also Gathered: Sunday In The Park a free event for moms where we slow down, regulate the nervous system, and intentionally enter the week ahead together. RSVP here. Connect with me: Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

  3. Mar 20

    Why You’re Not Going After What You Want

    In this episode, I’m sharing a bit about the season I’m currently in and how it’s reflecting the same patterns I’m seeing with my clients. I also talk about the truth behind feeling “stuck,” why you probably already know what you want, and what actually gets in the way of going after it. Lastly, I'm opening up a few 1:1 coaching spots, beginning in April. Apply here. Connect with me: Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

  4. Feb 26

    Who Gets to Heal? Access, Equity, and the Fight for Eating Disorder Care with Akiera Holloway-Gilbert

    For National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (NEDA), we’re going beyond awareness and into accountability. Today’s guest, Akiera Holloway-Gilbert, is a national speaker, mental health leader, and CEO of Project HEAL, the leading U.S. organization dedicated to equitable mental healthcare for people struggling with eating disorders. Under her leadership, Project HEAL has delivered millions of dollars in services, including free treatment placement for individuals who otherwise would not have access to care. Her work has been recognized by outlets like Forbes, Fortune, TIME, NBC, Refinery29, CNN, Yahoo, and The Washington Post. Before stepping into her current role, Akiera founded Body Reborn to support BIPOC communities navigating mental health challenges. She also serves as a Board Member of the Eating Disorders Coalition, advancing federal mental health legislation and fighting for systemic change. In our convo, we talk about what it means to lead in close proximity to suffering. How access to care is shaped by race, class, and policy. The emotional weight of advocating for change in systems that resist it. And how to hold rigor and humanity at the same time. This episode is about justice, who gets to be seen and what real healing requires, both individually and collectively. I’m also introducing No More Sunday Scaries, a free weekly space where we slow down, regulate the nervous system, and intentionally enter the week ahead together. Sign-up {HERE} Connect with me: Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

  5. Feb 12

    No More Sunday Scaries: Why the Week Feels Hard Before It Starts

    In this solo episode, I’m breaking down why Sunday Scaries aren’t a mindset problem or a motivation issue, but a nervous system response to how our weeks are structured and what they require from us. We’ll talk about anticipatory overwhelm, why “figuring it out” often keeps us stuck in survival mode, and what actually helps when your body is already bracing for what’s ahead. I also share why so many capable, thoughtful women — especially mothers — start the week depleted, and how preparing differently can change the way the week feels without adding more to your plate. I’m also introducing No More Sunday Scaries, a free weekly space where we slow down, regulate the nervous system, and intentionally enter the week ahead together. Sign-up {HERE} Connect with me: Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

  6. Jan 28

    Burnout, Truth, and Building a Career That Feels Aligned w/Kristal Howard

    Last chance to sign-up for The Visibility Shift group coaching program: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/the-visibility-shift. Starts February 4th! What happens when your body starts telling the truth before your mind is ready to hear it? In this episode, I’m joined by Kristal Howard—award-winning communications and public relations expert, founder of The Howard Method, and former senior communications leader at The Kroger Co. After more than a decade shaping national narratives at a Fortune 20 company, Kristal found herself at a crossroads when burnout forced her to slow down and listen. We talk about burnout as an initiation rather than a failure, the courage it takes to step away from corporate success, and how turning inward through rest and somatic healing reshaped Kristal’s relationship with work, leadership, and visibility. Kristal shares how honoring her body’s wisdom led her to build a business rooted in clarity, culture, and community—and what it really means to choose yourself in a world that rewards constant productivity. This conversation is for anyone feeling the quiet nudge that something needs to change—and is ready to listen. Connect with Kristal: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristal.howard/?hl=en Connect with me: Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

  7. Jan 15

    Why Being Seen Feels So Hard (and What Actually Helps)

    In this solo episode, I’m talking about visibility and why it often feels harder now than it used to. I share how age, social media, and cultural pressure shaped my relationship with being seen, why visibility isn’t a confidence or mindset problem, and how “visibility wounds” form in the body over time. I also talk about: Where visibility wounds come fromWhy pushing yourself to be visible often backfiresThe role of nervous system safety and embodimentWhat actually helps you show up in a way that feels grounded and authenticIf you know you’re meant to be more visible but still hesitate, overthink, or hold back, this episode is for you. This episode connects to The Visibility Shift, an 8-week group coaching experience for women leaders, founders, and experts who want to be seen with grounded confidence. Connect with me: Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

  8. 12/17/2025

    Healthy vs. Wounded Energetics: Reclaiming Power, Love & Self-Trust with Dené Logan

    What happens when our relationships are driven by wounded energetics instead of grounded, healthy power? In this episode, I sit down with Dené Logan — therapist, group facilitator, and author of Sovereign Love — to unpack how wounded energetics show up in our relationships, our sense of self, and the ways we abandon our own needs to stay connected. Dené shares how healthy energetics are rooted in self-trust, embodiment, and inner authority — not control, perfection, or being needed. We explore how somatic work helps us shift these patterns, why so many women were conditioned to earn love through performance, and how sovereignty in love is less about independence and more about conscious interdependence. This conversation invites you to recognize where your energy is coming from, meet your shadows with compassion, and begin relating — to yourself and others — from a place of wholeness rather than wound. In this episode, we explore: The difference between healthy vs. wounded energeticsHow self-abandonment forms, and how to interrupt itWhy love often gets tangled with performance and people-pleasingThe role of the body in reclaiming inner authorityWhat sovereignty in love actually looks like in real lifeIf you’ve ever felt disconnected from your truth or stuck in relational patterns that don’t reflect who you are becoming, this episode offers a powerful reframe and a way home to yourself. Connect with Dené: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dene.logan/?hl=en  Connect with me: Resources: https://www.shanettamcdonald.com/free Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamshanettamcdonald/Newsletter sign-up: https://shanetta.substack.com/

See All (73)

Trailer

Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

Your Body Knows is a podcast for women who are tired of surviving and ready to create lives that actually feel good to live. Hosted by intuitive living coach, writer, and veteran publicist Shanetta McDonald, this podcast explores burnout, nervous system regulation, intuition, creativity, and the messy, beautiful work of coming home to yourself. Through honest conversations, coaching insights, and personal reflections, you'll learn how to stop repeating old patterns, trust your inner wisdom, and build a life that feels more manageable, aligned, and true to who you are. Whether you're navigating motherhood, a career transition, or simply asking, "Is this really the life I want?" you're in the right place. Your body already knows the way. Let's listen.

Information

  • Creator
    Shanetta McDonald
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Your Body Knows
  • Show Website
    Your Body Knows

You Might Also Like