Dog struggles can feel surprisingly personal — and oddly isolating. In this episode, Ruth sits down with Emma Berumen, the founder behind Snout App (built from her own experience supporting her dog Luna through separation anxiety). They talk about what it’s like when your dog’s stress becomes your stress, why “quick fixes” often leave us feeling worse, and how real progress usually comes from small, repeatable steps… plus a lot of self-forgiveness.

This episode is for you if you:

• love your dog deeply, but feel overwhelmed by behaviour struggles

• have tried plans that didn’t fit your real life (or your actual dog)

• notice how easily anxiety becomes a feedback loop — for both of you

• need a reminder that progress doesn’t require perfection

In this conversation, we talk about:

• why dog ownership can bring up so much self-doubt (and guilt)

• separation anxiety: the practical stress and the emotional weight

• the myth of the “quick fix” — and what helps instead

• breaking change into bite-sized steps (and why 10 minutes matters)

• repairing after hard moments: apologizing, resetting, trying again

• building tools that adapt to real life, not ideal circumstances

• walking, sunlight, and getting out of your own head

• the reminder: “Even though it may not look like it, it will pass.”

Guest: Emma Berumen

Emma Berumen is the founder of Snout App, a project inspired by her own dog Luna and their journey with separation anxiety. With a background that includes science and the startup world, Emma is focused on building support that’s practical, flexible, and guided by real expertise — so people don’t feel alone while figuring things out.

Links:

• Join the Snout App beta/waitlist: thesnoutapp.com (as shared in the interview)

Connect with Ruth

• www.groundingwithruth.com

• Ruth’s work: women’s wellness, burnout recovery, self-worth, and grounded growth

If this episode resonated, you can follow the show, share it with a friend who loves their dog (and might need this reminder), and leave a review — it helps more people find us.

Stay Grounded.

This meditation is an invitation to come back to where you are, just as you are. It’s a practice of presence—not as something to achieve or get right, but as something you can return to again and again.

Whether your mind feels busy, your body feels tired, or you’re feeling a bit scattered, this space is open to you. There’s no expectation to be calm or clear your thoughts. This is about noticing what’s actually here and allowing that to be enough.

This meditation supports you in:

• Settling into your body and your breath

• Noticing where your mind naturally goes

• Practising returning to the present moment

• Reflecting on what presence feels like for you

• Remembering that there’s no right way to meditate

You don’t need to do this perfectly. If your mind wanders, that’s part of the practice. Every time you notice and come back, you’re already here.

Stay grounded.

January often comes with a lot of noise—about who we should be, what we should fix, and how quickly we should change. In this solo episode, I share my complicated relationship with the New Year, why resolutions have never really worked for me, and what I’m choosing instead.

This conversation is about loosening the grip of expectation and finding a way into the year that feels more honest, more spacious, and more supportive of real life.

This episode is for you if:

• You feel resistant to New Year’s pressure or “fresh start” energy

• Resolutions tend to leave you feeling discouraged or behind

• You’re curious about setting intentions instead of rigid goals

• You want a calmer, more grounded way to move into a new year

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why New Year’s messaging can feel heavy and unrealistic

• The difference between resolutions and intentions

• How intentions leave room for flexibility and self-compassion

• My personal intention for 2026: presence

• What presence looks like in my work, health, and relationships

Connect with Ruth

• Website: groundingwithruth.com

• Instagram & Facebook: Grounding with Ruth

If this episode resonates, you’re welcome to follow the podcast, leave a review, or share it with someone who might need a little less pressure this time of year.

Stay Grounded.