The world feels intense right now.

From political shakeups to cultural instability, rapid AI acceleration to social unrest, many of us are asking the same question:

How do we stay informed without becoming overwhelmed?
How do we lead without burning out?
How do we stay human in the chaos?

In this episode of How to Stay Human, Tori Gordon and Kyle Herron explore the intersection of nervous system regulation, emotional intelligence, leadership, and sovereignty in a rapidly changing world.

This is a conversation about nervous system mastery, high performance without burnout, and why the next generation of leaders must be regulated leaders.

Tori shares the framework behind her 6-week transformational container, Groundwork, and explains why nervous system literacy is the foundation of sustainable success, emotional safety, intuitive leadership, and deep presence.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stuck in survival mode, constantly scanning for threat, or exhausted from pushing your way through life, this episode is for you.

• How to balance staying informed with staying regulated
• Chronic threat detection and hypervigilance in the digital age
• Why hustle culture creates burnout and emotional disconnection
• The Human Experience Map and the “Red Zone” of dysregulation
• Emotional defense patterns: people pleasing, shutdown, lone wolf, stonewalling
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) and parts work explained simply
• How nervous system capacity expands abundance and opportunity
• Why the future belongs to regulated leaders
• Moving from survival mode to sovereignty

Virtual psychiatric care from licensed providers, including medication management and ketamine therapy options (where eligible).
Appointments can start as low as $120. Insurance may apply.

Learn more: anywhereclinic.com/tori-gordon

Comprehensive lab testing that gives you real data on your health so you can make informed decisions about longevity, energy, and performance.

Explore your biomarkers with Function Health. Use code TORIG25 for $25 off your membership www.functionhealth.com/torigordon

If this episode resonated, it may be time to build your internal foundation.

Groundwork is Tori Gordon’s 6-week nervous system mastery and emotional intelligence program designed for high performers, leaders, and impact-driven humans who are ready to move from survival to sovereignty.

• Inside Groundwork, you’ll learn:
• Nervous system literacy and stabilization
• Emotional intelligence and trigger archetypes
• Parts work and Internal Family Systems
• Intuition and inner authority development
• Practical tools to regulate in real time

Start with the free Nervous System Defense Patterns Quiz:

👉 www.torigordon.com/groundwork

Enrollment details and program information available at the same link.

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Everyone says they want community.

But most people don’t have it.

In this episode of How to Stay Human, Tori Gordon and Kyle Herron pick up where last week left off and break down why the word community has been diluted—and what it actually takes to build something real.

Community is not a follower count.
It’s not a group chat.
It’s not “good vibes.”

Real community is embodied, relational, and reciprocal. It requires participation, structure, boundaries, and repair. If it doesn’t ask anything from you, it’s not community—it’s proximity with branding.

Kyle shares a practical framework for building communities that last (paid or unpaid), including mission/vision, agreements, member selection, leadership, feedback loops, and the containers that create trust over time. Tori breaks down the biggest myths that cause people to crave community while resenting the effort it requires.

Because the future doesn’t need more online audiences.
It needs villages.

• Why “community” has been watered down in the digital age
• The truth: community is inconvenient by design
• Why aligned communities still cost energy (and why that’s normal)
• The myth that a community should meet all your needs
• What makes communities fragile—and how to protect them
• A step-by-step framework to build a real community where you live

Anywhere Clinic
Virtual psychiatric care from the comfort of your home. Support includes medication management and ketamine therapy options (where eligible). Appointments can start as low as $120. Check if your insurance covers it.
Visit: anywhereclinic.com/tori-gordon

Function Health
Get clear, comprehensive lab testing and real data on what’s happening inside your body so you can make smarter decisions with your health. USE CODE: TORIG25 for $25 off your membership.
Learn more: FunctionHealth.com/torigordon

If this episode hit, follow the show and share it with one person you want to go deeper with this year.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5CW60wbPxLzr5zOBRAB0jR?si=c1b37dab534a4704
YouTube: https://youtu.be/jber8KlebnU?si=HKmU-nUFX_X9vLad
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-stay-human/id1475408897?i=1000747092963

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In the most connected generation in human history, why are so many people quietly falling apart in isolation?

In this episode of How to Stay Human, Kyle and Tori unpack the loneliness epidemic—and why it’s not just a “sad feeling,” but a real threat to our physical health, mental wellbeing, and long-term resilience. If you’ve ever had a lot of people around you but still felt alone, this conversation is for you.

Kyle shares a shocking insight from a health longevity conversation: loneliness is one of the most lethal forces impacting human health today. Together, they explore how our culture has traded depth for breadth, why adult friendships often dissolve into “surface-level proximity,” and how social media can create a false sense of closeness that leaves us even more disconnected.

You’ll also learn a practical framework for rebuilding real connection: the Four Circles of Relationship—a way to map the people in your life so you know who is truly core, who is inner circle, who is outer circle, and who is simply an acquaintance. This episode invites you to stop taking friendship for granted and start treating your most important relationships with the same intention you give to your career, goals, and romantic partnerships.

Because real friendship isn’t something you “luck into.” It’s something you build—through consistency, vulnerability, reciprocity, and care.

• Why loneliness impacts physical health (stress, cortisol, heart disease, and more)
• The difference between being “connected” online and being known in real life
• Why adult life makes friendship harder (survival mode, busyness, and the dopamine scroll)
• A story that reveals how much we’ve confused audience for friendship
• Why closeness isn’t history, proximity, blood, or nostalgia—it’s access + truth

The Four Circles of Relationship framework:

• Acquaintances
• Outer Circle
• Inner Circle
• Core (chosen family)

The real test of friendship: who answers when life falls apart

A powerful exercise to audit your relationships and name where dissonance exists

Why vulnerability is leadership—and why you can’t be loved if you can’t be seen

How deeper relationships become a form of resistance in a dividing world

Who do I call when I’m not okay?

Who thinks they’re close to me… but doesn’t actually have access to my real life?

Which relationships am I maintaining out of habit, history, or image?

Who is on the edge of my outer/inner circle—and do I want to deepen it?

This episode is sponsored by Anywhere Clinic, a virtual mental health provider offering expert support from the comfort of your home. Whether you’re exploring ketamine therapy, need medication management, or want a supportive psychiatric guide, you can prioritize your mental health today.
Book an appointment for as low as $120 or check whether your insurance covers it at www.anywhereclinic.com/tori-gordon

In the next episode, we go deeper into the how: how to build real community, what it means to be a good friend, and what sustainable connection actually requires.

If this episode hit home, share it with someone you love—and take one small step toward connection this week.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.