Guest

Jake Petrykowski —Nutrition & Wellness Educator, Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Coach, Certified Peer Support Specialist

Episode Summary

In this honest and profound episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Jake Petrykowski for a meaningful conversation about healing, trauma, nervous system regulation, emotional safety, and boundaries—and what it looks like to stop running from pain and start living with intention.

Jake shares his journey as a lifelong student of nutrition and wellness, his years of working in service, and how his path ultimately led him into trauma-informed behavioral health coaching and peer support. Together, Laurel and Jake explore the impact of stigma, the power of language in recovery, and why true healing isn’t about perfection—it’s about honesty, emotional clarity, self-compassion, and learning to stay present in your own body.

They also reflect on the role of breathwork, harm reduction, and small, sustainable shifts—reminding us that meaningful change doesn’t have to be extreme to be life-changing.

What We Explore in This Episode

Trauma, emotional detachment, and learning it’s safe to feel

Shame, stigma, and why language matters in recovery

Harm reduction and meeting people where they are

Breathwork and nervous system regulation in everyday life

Nutrition basics, misinformation, and sustainable wellness

Fatherhood, repair, and choosing understanding over self-judgment

Starting small as a path to lasting change

Key Quotes

“It’s safe to have feelings. It’s healthy to have feelings.”

“The words we use with ourselves and others are so important.”

“Success leaves clues—go slow, and keep it simple.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people live in survival mode—staying busy, staying numb, or staying “fine.” This episode is a compassionate reminder that emotional safety begins with truth: about what hurts, what we’re carrying, and what we actually need.

Jake’s story highlights how trauma can shape our patterns—and how boundaries, understanding, and emotional clarity can open the door to real, sustainable change over time.

If you’ve been feeling disconnected from your body or unsure where to start, this conversation invites you to slow down, breathe, and return to yourself—one honest step at a time.

About the Guest

Jake Petrykowski has studied nutrition and wellness for over 30 years. After completing a 1500-hour sports medicine internship in college, he built a career as a personal trainer and nutritional consultant, educating audiences of thousands while supporting countless clients one-on-one. Over the last six years, Jake has worked as a trauma-informed behavioral health coach, and in 2022 became a certified peer support specialist.

Connect with Jake:

Email: yourwellnesspro@gmail.com

Instagram: @futureselfwellness

About the Host

Laurel LeMohn is a trauma therapist, somatic wellness coach, and host of Spiritual Friction: Heartfelt, Unhurried Conversations on Healing, Spiritual Growth, and Being Human, a mental health and healing podcast centered on real stories and the human experience. Her work integrates trauma-informed care, narrative therapy, nervous system regulation, and spirituality to create grounded, compassionate spaces for healing.

Explore more episodes and resources at:

https://www.soulbodywellness.health

Guest

Kelli Marsh — Licensed Massage Practitioner, Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritional Coach, Owner of Kelly’s Health & Wellness

Episode Summary

In this honest and grounding episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Kelli Marsh for a deeply personal conversation about healing, trauma, nervous system regulation, and emotional safety—and what it means to start over from self-trust rather than perfection.

Kelli shares her nonlinear journey through childhood trauma, anxiety, self-sabotage, body image struggles, brain injuries, and years of believing she didn’t deserve more than survival. She reflects on how chronic stress shaped her nervous system, relationships, and sense of worth—often pushing herself to exhaustion while minimizing her own pain.

Together, Laurel and Kelli explore the connection between trauma and the body, the courage it takes to set boundaries, and why healing doesn’t need to be rushed to be real.

This episode touches on Kelli’s holistic wellness work, including massage therapy, movement, nutrition, and her introduction to quantum biofeedback as a tool for increasing body awareness and supporting nervous system regulation.

What We Explore in This Episode

• Starting over and redefining identity
• Trauma, the nervous system, and embodied healing
• Emotional safety, self-trust, and self-sabotage
• Weight, invisibility, and survival strategies
• Listening to the body as self-respect

Key Quotes

“If you’re scared, that’s probably the thing you need to do.”

“Starting over doesn’t mean you failed. It means you chose yourself.”

“Nothing about you is wasted.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people live in survival mode—pushing through anxiety, minimizing pain, and believing ease must be earned. This episode offers a reminder that healing can be slow, honest, and compassionate, and that emotional safety begins with listening inward.

If you’re in a season of change or burnout, this conversation is a gentle place to land.

About the Guest

Kelli Marsh is a licensed massage practitioner, certified personal trainer, and certified nutritional coach. She is the owner and CEO of Kelly’s Health & Wellness and supports whole-person healing through body-based care.

Website: https://www.massagebook.com/therapists/kelli-s-health-wellness

Quantum Biofeedback Disclaimer

Quantum biofeedback is a non-invasive wellness technology that helps identify stress patterns in the body by measuring energetic and physiological responses.

During a session, gentle sensors are placed on the head, hands, and feet to read how your body responds to thousands of frequencies associated with physical, emotional, and environmental stressors.

The system then provides customized feedback frequencies designed to support balance in the nervous system. This process helps the body recognize stress patterns and encourages self-regulation and relaxation.

Quantum biofeedback does not diagnose or treat medical conditions, but it can be a powerful tool for gaining insight into stress, supporting nervous system regulation, and promoting overall wellness. Many clients use biofeedback as part of a proactive, holistic approach to health—especially when feeling overwhelmed, fatigued, inflamed, or “out of balance.” Sessions are comfortable, relaxing, and fully clothed, making them suitable for adults and children alike.

Guest

Courtney Weidner — Founder of Aligned & Alive Coaching & Creator of The ALIVE Revolution

Episode Summary

In this energizing, laugh-out-loud and deeply honest episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Courtney Weidner—coach, entrepreneur, and creator of The ALIVE Revolution—for a powerful conversation about healing, trauma, nervous system regulation, and emotional safety.

Courtney shares how she spent 27 years in the insurance industry building a life that looked stable and successful on paper, while internally feeling disconnected, overworked, and out of alignment. She opens up about recovery, workaholism, productivity addiction, and the “Grand Pause” of the pandemic—when she realized she had been filling every moment with doing because rest didn’t feel safe.

Together, Laurel and Courtney explore how awareness is the first step toward healing, how trauma and conditioning shape our relationship with rest, and why tending to the nervous system is essential for sustainable growth. They reflect on belonging, village, and emotional safety as foundations for intimacy, self-trust, and aliveness.

This conversation is a call back to presence—a reminder that aliveness isn’t found in the past or the future, but right here, right now.

What We Explore in This Episode

• Identity shifts after decades in one career
• Workaholism, productivity addiction, and chronic nervous system activation
• Emotional safety, belonging, and why village changes everything
• Nervous system regulation as a foundation for healing
• Intuition, red flags, and trusting inner wisdom
• Shadow work, self-acceptance, and reclaiming rejected parts
• Relationship growth, intimacy, and self-expression

Key Quotes

“When you don’t know what to do, pour into you—because answers come.”

“Aliveness happens now—in this moment.”

“If you look inside yourself, you’ll always find what you’re looking for.”

Why This Conversation Matters

So many people are living with quiet exhaustion—over-scheduled, under-nourished, and disconnected from their bodies and inner truth. This episode offers a compassionate reminder that healing doesn’t require grinding harder; it begins with awareness, emotional safety, and nervous system support.

If you’ve been feeling burned out, stuck, or unsure what’s next, this conversation offers both permission and momentum.

About the Guest

Courtney Weidner is a coach, entrepreneur, founder of Aligned & Alive Coaching, and the creator of The ALIVE Revolution, a transformational framework supporting self-care, belonging, emotional safety, and purpose.

Website: https://whatmakesyoucomealive.com

About the Host

Laurel LeMohn is a trauma therapist, somatic wellness coach, and host of Spiritual Friction: Heartfelt, Unhurried Conversations on Healing, Spiritual Growth, and Being Human, a mental health and healing podcast centered on real stories and the human experience. Her work integrates trauma-informed care, narrative therapy, nervous system regulation, and spirituality to create grounded, compassionate spaces.

Explore more episodes and resources at: https://www.soulbodywellness.health