🥒In this episode of Inside the Pickle Jar, I come back to the second part of our conversation about shadow work. It’s a tender kind of inner exploration, inspired by the ideas of Carl Jung. In the last episode, I talked about how easy it is for any of us to get tangled up in our own thoughts — especially when we’re carrying old beliefs or wearing a persona we think the world expects from us.

🌟Today, I take your hand a little more gently and walk with you through some of the ways we can meet those hidden parts of ourselves. I talk about simple, comforting practices — like journaling, pausing to visualize what we’re feeling, and giving ourselves permission to be curious instead of afraid. These are small steps, but they help us turn toward our shadows instead of away from them.

💚My hope is that, as you listen, you’ll feel encouraged to challenge the beliefs that have been holding you back and to welcome every part of who you are. Because when we do that, when we let all our pieces come home, we grow into more authentic, wholehearted versions of ourselves. And that’s such a lovely thing to witness.

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In this episode of Inside the Pickle Jar, I take a quiet little walk into something called shadow work. It’s a tender kind of inner exploration, inspired by the ideas of Carl Jung. I talk about how easy it is for any of us to get stuck inside our own heads especially when we’re carrying old beliefs about who we’re supposed to be, or when we’re wearing a “just‑fine” mask for the world.

I share how each of us has a shadow self... those feelings, memories, and traits we’ve tucked away because they felt too big, too loud, or too confusing at the time. And just like a neighbor who’s been waiting patiently on the porch, that shadow part of us is always hoping we’ll open the door and say, “I see you. You matter too.”

Together, we explore how understanding these hidden parts can help us grow into kinder, more authentic versions of ourselves. It’s gentle work. Brave work. And it’s something we don’t have to do alone.

Takeaways —

• Shadow work is a way of turning toward the feelings we’ve tucked away.
• The persona, that social mask we wear, can sometimes keep us from being our truest selves.
• Learning about the ego helps us understand why we react the way we do.
• Being authentic means welcoming every part of who we are, even the parts we’re still getting to know.
• Many of our inner conflicts come from the tug‑of‑war between who we think we should be and who we really are.
• Shadow work invites us to gently integrate those forgotten or hidden traits so we can feel more whole.

🥒Connect with Tonya:

🕸️Website - http://www.risingtidecoaching.org

👏Patreon - https://www.Patreon.com/InsideThePickleJar

📣Etsy - https://www.etsy.com/InsidethePickleJar

🚇https://www.youtube.com/@TonyaWeaverCoach

LinkedIn ~ www.linkedin.com/in/tmweaver/

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🥒In this episode, I wander into the twisty bramble of procrastination. Not as a flaw to fix or a sign that we're “bad at time,” but as a deeply human, deeply neurodivergent (and sometimes neurotypical) experience. I peel back the layers and show how procrastination has never really been about calendars or willpower. It’s about emotions, safety, and the way our uniquely wired brain responds to stress, pressure, and the promise of reward.

🥒I'll explain the backstage of the mind, where the limbic system and prefrontal cortex negotiate like two travelers trying to share the same map. Sometimes the emotional brain grabs the wheel. Sometimes the planning brain mutters from the backseat. And sometimes… everything just goes still.

🥒With a blend of science, kindness, and some storytelling, I share the strategies we can use that help unstick ourselves, breaking things into tiny, workable steps, shaping environments that feel like focused landings, and acknowledging the emotional waves underneath the delay. 🥒It’s not about forcing ourselves into productivity. It’s about understanding our wiring, honoring our nervous systems, and finding our way back to forward motion with kindness instead of shame.

Check out the cool links below:

https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/why-we-procrastinate-a-neuroscientific-view https://insightspsychology.org/the-neuroscience-of-procrastination/ https://scitechdaily.com/the-science-of-procrastination-a-neuroscientists-guide-to-getting-things-done/ https://scienceofmind.org/is-procrastination-harmful/ https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/why-wait-the-science-behind-procrastination

🥒Connect with Tonya:

🕸️http://www.risingtidecoaching.org

👏YouTube www.youtube.com/@TonyaWeaverCoach

📣Etsy https://www.etsy.com/InsidethePickleJar

🔗LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tmweaver/

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🥒Hello Pickle friends… In this episode, I invite you to rethink executive function. It's an issue that so many neurodivergent hearts quietly wrestle with... overwhelm, procrastination, restless nights, and feeling 'other'. I speak to these struggles offering compassion instead of criticism.

💚So, I encourage you, dear listener, to build gentle structures that feel like easy scaffolding or a framework rather than forcing a square peg in a round hold, and to move through change in micro‑steps. Micro-steps that are small enough to not rattle your nervous system but powerful enough to shift a life. Self‑trust is a kind of inner leadership, grown slowly through tiny promises kept.

💚I'm calling you to community: a circle of humans who hold one another with warmth, accountability, and encouragement. A place where no one has to pretend to be more put‑together than they are, and where every small victory is honored.

Visit my Patreon to join our community of neurodivergent souls: https://www.patreon.com/InsideThePickleJar

🥒Connect with Tonya:

🕸️http://www.risingtidecoaching.org

👏Patreon

🔗LinkedIn

🚇Tonya Weaver Coach - YouTube

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🥒Hello friends… in this episode, I wander into the tender, tangled world of productivity apps through a neurodivergent lens...the hope they spark, the overwhelm they stir up, and the quiet shame that can settle in when the systems we’re “supposed” to use end up using us instead.

💚I’ve been moving through my own inner turmoil with these apps. Sometimes bright optimism on occasion and then a little overwhelm in the other. I'm trying to make sense of why some apps feel like gentle companions while others feel like tiny digital judges wagging their finger at me. Finch feels like a soft friend who celebrates every small win; Duolingo… well, some days it feels more like a mean teacher with opinions.

💚I know there is a deeper truth: our brains aren’t meant to be disciplined into submission. They’re meant to be supported and met with compassion. Community matters. Emotional validation matters. Tools that honor our nervous systems rather than scold them matter more than we’re often taught to admit.

💚So, wherever you are in your own season and you’re trying again or shutting down or starting over or simply catching your breath, I’m wishing you gentleness. May you find a tool, a practice, a moment that feels helpful and supportive.

💚Thanks for listening, subscribing, sharing ... Tonya 🤗

Visit my Patreon to join our community of neurodivergent souls: https://www.patreon.com/InsideThePickleJar

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🚇Tonya Weaver Coach - YouTube

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I'm taking a risk here because some of the words used in Transactional Analysis could be twisted to mean something else BUT I think the principles are worth the risk. In this episode, I explore the concepts of Transactional Analysis through the 1970s book "TA for Kids". I focus on the three parts of the self: Parent, Adult, and Child. I also discuss the importance of understanding these aspects for neurodivergent individuals and how they affect interpersonal relationships. I'm trying to convene the significance of 'warm fuzzies' and 'cold pricklies' as forms of emotional exchanges and emphasize the need for positive strokes in our lives. I also provide some practical exercises to enhance emotional connections and improve relationships. I hope you find this helpful as you navigate relationships and can get a feeling of how to relate to others.

Visit my Patreon to join our community of neurodivergent souls: https://www.patreon.com/InsideThePickleJar

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👏Patreon

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🚇Tonya Weaver Coach - YouTube

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🥒 Have you ever felt anxiety as a quiet storm swirling beneath your calm? In this episode, I invite you into my own journey with anxiety, unfolding gentle ways to navigate its waves. I try to carefully explore anxiety not as an enemy, but as a natural rhythm of the body, offering practical tools like breath work and movement to soothe the spirit along with neuroscientist, Wendy Suzuki. I talk through the science of the nervous system and hopefully shine a light on the parasympathetic pathways that lead us into relaxation and emotional balance. I hope you see these as heartfelt insights on weaving these practices into everyday life, crafting a sanctuary of mental wellness and gentle strength.

Please visit (or revisit) my other podcasts on this subject: 'Pause Practice' and 'Observe Your Feelings, Not Your Emotions'.

Visit my Patreon to join our community of neurodivergent souls: https://www.patreon.com/InsideThePickleJar

🥒Connect with Tonya:

🕸️http://www.risingtidecoaching.org

👏Patreon

🔗LinkedIn

🚇Tonya Weaver Coach - YouTube

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Hello friends… in this conversation, I share my experiences with frustration, emotional intelligence, and the challenges of hosting during the holiday season. I talk about the importance of self-care, managing anxiety, and setting personal goals, especially for neurodivergent individuals.

I’ve been wandering through my own inner weather lately—frustration tucked under one arm, emotional intelligence under the other, trying to host life (and the holidays!) with as much grace as a human can muster. You know how it goes… some days you’re the glowing hearth, and some days you’re the smoke alarm. I’ve been a bit of both.

And threaded through all of it is this deep knowing: we’re not meant to do any of this alone. Community matters. Support matters. Understanding our own emotions, naming them, befriending them, letting them sit beside us instead of on top of us. It matters so much when life gets loud.

So, however, you’re moving through this season, whether you’re hosting, hiding, celebrating, or simply pausing… I’m wishing you gentleness, clarity, and a little pocket of peace you can keep just for yourself. May there be warmth. May there be rest. May there be a moment where you feel held—by your people, by your practices, by your own brave heart.

Visit my Patreon to join our community of neurodivergent souls: https://www.patreon.com/InsideThePickleJar

🥒Connect with Tonya:

🕸️http://www.risingtidecoaching.org

👏Patreon

🔗LinkedIn

🚇Tonya Weaver Coach - YouTube

Support the show