Nature is not a luxury, it is a nervous system reset.

In Episode 10 of Live Your Jam, Ellen McGinnis shares why the natural world is one of the most powerful tools we have for regulation, clarity, emotional steadiness, and reconnecting to inner wisdom.

Ellen explores how stepping out of “manmade boxes” and into the wild immediately softens the ego, shifts perspective, and returns us to a sense of awe. You will learn the science-backed reasons nature supports mental health and emotional resilience, including morning sunlight for circadian rhythm and cortisol balance, birdsong as a safety signal for the brain, and flowing water as a doorway into calmer brainwave states linked to creativity and intuition.

This episode also weaves personal stories across pivotal life transitions, from Starved Rock and Matheson State Park in Illinois, to the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain, to daily refuge hikes in Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley, and finally the forests of Switzerland that held Ellen through a life-altering season.

If you have been feeling overstimulated, stuck in mental loops, or disconnected from your body and intuition, this episode is your invitation back. Nature does not require effort. She requires presence.

You will learn:

• Why nature calms the ego and reconnects you to something larger
• How morning sunlight supports circadian rhythm, mood, and stress resilience
• Why birdsong can reduce stress and signal safety to the nervous system
• How water sounds create “soft fascination” and support intuitive brain states
• Why walking is one of the most powerful daily practices for mental clarity
• The difference between a hike and a pilgrimage (and why intention matters)
• Simple ways to bring nature into your day, even when life is full

👉 Watch the full conversation and subscribe for more stories about intuition, purpose, and living your jam.

#LiveYourJam #NatureAsMedicine #NervousSystemRegulation #MindfulnessTools #WalkingMeditation #EmotionalResilience #InnerWisdom #IntuitionPractice #SomaticHealing #StressReliefTools #CircadianRhythm #MorningSunlight #MentalClarity #PresencePractice #HealingInNature #GroundingPractices #ConsciousLiving #WellnessPodcast #SelfRegulation #InnerPeace

We talk about:

• 00:00 Welcome, Happy New Year, and 2026 as a “new beginnings” year
• 02:00 Why this episode is devoted to nature (and why it matters)
• 03:30 Nature as regulation, awe, and ego-softening
• 05:30 Morning sunlight, circadian rhythm, and healthy cortisol rhythm
• 07:00 Birdsong, safety signals, and calming the mind
• 08:45 Flowing water, “soft fascination,” and intuitive brain states
• 11:00 Walking as medicine, stress relief, and perspective shift
• 12:30 Early roots, Starved Rock and Matheson State Park memories
• 15:00 The Camino de Santiago, transition, symbolism, and intention
• 20:30 Berkeley refuge, Tilden Regional Park, identity, and healing seasons
• 25:30 Switzerland, forest solace, and community adventure
• 27:30 Simple daily invitations, bring nature into your life
• 29:00 Closing message, nature as the gateway back to yourself

Connect with Ellen

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liveyourjam
• LinkedIn: https://www.instagram.com/liveyourjam
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liveyourjam
• YouTube:

What if you are not your thoughts, and what if the emotions that keep repeating are not flaws, but unprocessed energy asking to be released?

In this episode of Live Your Jam, host Ellen McGinnis continues the conversation from Your Mind As Ally, Not Dictator and takes listeners deeper, beneath the thinking mind and into the heart.

This episode explores why mental noise blocks intuition, how emotional energy becomes stored in the body, and why resistance to pain creates repeating patterns in our lives. Ellen breaks down the concept of the pain body, how it feeds on rumination and emotional reactivity, and why awareness and presence dissolve its grip.

Drawing on the teachings of The Untethered Soul and The Power of Now, this conversation reframes healing as openness, surrender, and allowing emotions to move rather than suppressing or feeding them.

This episode is for you if you feel stuck in old patterns, emotionally triggered by familiar situations, or ready to live your jam from the inside out, with clarity, peace, and presence.

When you stop identifying with your thoughts, freedom begins.

You will learn:

• Why you are not your thoughts, but the awareness behind them
• How mindfulness and meditation quiet mental noise
• Why intuition is blocked by rumination
• The heart as the body’s emotional center
• How emotional energy becomes stored through resistance
• Michael Singer’s approach to releasing emotion
• Eckhart Tolle’s concept of the pain body
• Why emotional reactions often belong to the past
• How awareness dissolves emotional charge
• Letting emotions move instead of suppressing them
• Surrender as a path to healing

👉 Watch the full conversation and subscribe for more stories about intuition, purpose, and living your jam.

#LiveYourJam #MindAsAlly #PainBody #YouAreNotYourThoughts #MindfulnessPractice #EmotionalHealing #InnerAwareness #PresenceOverReaction #SpiritualGrowth #ConsciousLiving #EmotionalRegulation #NervousSystemHealing #MeditationPractice #LettingGo #InnerPeace #SelfAwarenessJourney #HealingFromWithin #AwarenessIsFreedom #LivingFromTheInsideOut #WellnessPodcast

We talk about:

• 00:00 Intro
• 02:00 You are not your thoughts
• 05:00 Mindfulness, meditation, and intuition
• 07:30 The heart as the emotional center
• 09:00 Stored emotional energy and resistance
• 12:00 Repeating patterns and emotional loops
• 15:00 The pain body explained
• 18:00 How the pain body feeds on reaction
• 21:00 Recognizing when the pain body is active
• 24:00 Awareness and presence as medicine
• 27:00 Allowing emotions to move
• 30:00 Surrender versus control
• 33:00 Personal story of healing through presence
• 36:00 Freedom through witnessing

Resources:

• Power of Now: https://eckharttolle.com/power-of-now-excerpt/ / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uXm65gtyAA
• Untethered Soul: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnGj7DUOsMg / https://untetheredsoul.com/untethered-soul

Connect with Ellen

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liveyourjam
• LinkedIn:

What if fitness was not about chasing a body goal, but about respecting the vessel that carries your soul through this lifetime?

In this episode of Live Your Jam, host Ellen McGinnis sits down with her personal coach and strength expert Danny Matranga, a certified strength and conditioning specialist with over 15 years of experience, for a grounded, honest conversation about strength training, clean living, and mindset, especially as we age.

This episode reframes fitness as an act of self-love, not punishment. Together, Ellen and Danny explore why strength training is one of the most powerful tools for mental clarity, emotional resilience, and long-term independence, particularly for women over 50. They break down how often you really need to train, how to get strong without overwhelm, and why consistency matters more than intensity.

You will also learn the truth about popular supplements like creatine and collagen, what actually works, what is hype, and how to support brain health, joints, and longevity without overcomplicating your routine. The conversation cuts through nutrition noise with a simple, practical approach to eating clean using the 80/20 rule, focusing on protein, fiber, hydration, and reducing alcohol and ultra-processed foods.

This episode is for you if you feel intimidated by the gym, confused by fitness trends, or ready to care for your body in a way that feels supportive, empowering, and sustainable.

When you respect the vessel, everything else begins to align.

They discuss:

• Why physical health supports mental and emotional wellbeing
• The best type of strength training for healthy aging
• How often you really need to lift weights
• Strength training on a budget and at home
• Why form and effort matter more than fancy equipment
• Creatine benefits for strength, cognition, and brain health
• Collagen for joints, connective tissue, and aging
• A realistic approach to clean eating without rigidity
• Strength training for women over 50

👉 Watch the full conversation and subscribe for more stories about intuition, purpose, and living your jam.

#LiveYourJam #StrengthTrainingAfter50 #HealthyAging #MindBodyConnection #FitnessMindset #WomenOver50 #ResistanceTraining #CleanEating #CreatineBenefits #CollagenForJoints #MentalClarity #EmotionalWellbeing #LongevityLifestyle #StrengthForLife #NervousSystemHealth #SelfCareAsSelfLove #MindfulFitness #WholeBodyHealth #WellnessPodcast #PurposeDrivenLiving #BuildStrength #AgeStrong #LiveFromTheInsideOut

We talk about:

• 00:00 Respecting the body as the vessel of the soul
• 03:20 Why physical health supports mental and emotional wellbeing
• 07:45 Strength training, what actually works and why
• 12:10 How often you really need to lift weights
• 16:30 Strength training on a budget and at home
• 21:05 Why form and effort matter more than comfort
• 26:15 Creatine and collagen, what actually works
• 32:45 Clean eating without overwhelm, the 80/20 approach
• 38:40 Strength training for women over 50
• 44:50 Fitness as an act of self love and living your jam

Connect with Danny

• Website: https://www.corecoachingmethod.com/appbasedprogramming
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJoApjD1tVIRXmbFzyYbXnA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danny.matranga/
• Podcast: