Guest

Jen Chambers — Writer, Podcaster

Episode Summary

In this honest and deeply reflective episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Jen Chambers for a heartfelt conversation about trauma, recovery, identity, and what it means to learn to trust yourself again after everything changes.

Jen shares her experience of surviving a devastating car accident at fifteen that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and the loss of all memory from her first fifteen years of life. She speaks openly about the fear, confusion, and disorientation of waking up without a past — and the long, nonlinear journey of relearning how to walk, read, write, and slowly rebuild a sense of self without the memories that once anchored her identity.

Together, Laurel and Jen explore disability, shame, persistence, and the quiet courage it takes to keep choosing yourself after trauma. Their conversation honors healing as a process that cannot be rushed — one shaped by breathwork, self-compassion, curiosity, and the slow rebuilding of trust in your own body, instincts, and inner voice.

What We Explore in This Episode

Trauma recovery after traumatic brain injury

Losing memory and rebuilding identity

Learning to trust yourself after trauma

Living with disability and releasing shame

Breathwork and nervous system regulation

Persistence as a form of resilience

Becoming yourself again — on your own timeline

Key Quotes

“It took me so long to become myself. I don’t have time not to be now.”

“Learning to trust yourself sounds simple, but it’s the work of a lifetime.”

“I wasn’t broken. I could still be great.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people living with trauma, disability, or chronic illness feel pressure to “get back” to who they were before. This episode offers a compassionate reframe: healing doesn’t mean returning to an old version of yourself — it means learning who you are now and choosing to trust that person.

Jen's story reminds us that recovery is rarely linear, that shame can quietly shape our self-beliefs, and that persistence — especially when paired with care and presence — can become a powerful form of self-trust. If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body, your past, or your sense of identity, this conversation offers permission to slow down and meet yourself where you are.

About the Guest

Jen Chambers is a writer, publisher, teacher, and podcast host. A former newspaper and magazine columnist, she founded TEDxVenetaWomen and attended the Iowa Summer Writing Program. After surviving a traumatic brain injury at 15 that erased her early memories, she relearned everything from walking to speaking, a journey that deeply informs her work.

Her award-winning writing inspired a museum exhibit, fulfilling a lifelong goal, and her latest book is The Murder of Sheriff W. W. Withers & Other Eugene Cases (Arcadia Publishing, 2025). She hosts the podcasts Beyond The Margins with Jen Chambers and Same Crime, Different Time, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Instagram: @j_b_chambers

Substack: https://jbchambers.substack.com/

Website: http://www.jennifer-chambers.com/website

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 Conversations about Personal Healing and Transformation, 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 Conversations about Personal Healing and Transformation, 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

Guest

Liz Frost, LICSW — Founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy

Episode Summary

In this powerful and deeply human episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Liz Frost, LICSW—licensed therapist and founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy—for an honest conversation about trauma, belonging, burnout, and what it truly means to create spaces that are safe—not just in theory, but in practice.

Liz shares her winding path from ballet and biochemistry to social work, therapy, and eventually founding her own group practice in Washington State. Along the way, she reflects on childhood trauma, religious harm, systemic burnout in mental health, and the courage it takes to imagine and build something different.

Together, Laurel and Liz explore how healing happens not through perfection or productivity, but through intentionality, community, ethical care, and a belief that meaningful change is possible when we’re willing to put action behind our values.

This episode is an invitation to stop minimizing your pain, honor your resilience, and remember that healing, rest, and meaningful change are not only possible—they’re allowed.

What We Explore in This Episode

• What it really means to create intentional, ethical healing spaces
• Burnout in mental health systems—and how to prevent it
• Phases of trauma healing: denial, grief, anger, and acceptance

Key Quotes

“I think about my life as bonus content now. I’m just doing side quests to help the world.”

“Actually, you can heal. It might not be on the timeline you want—but actually, you can.”

“Burnout doesn’t happen all at once. It happens quietly, without street signs.”

Why This Conversation Matters

So many people—especially helpers, clinicians, and caregivers—are taught to push through exhaustion, silence their needs, and call it dedication. This conversation gently but firmly challenges that narrative.

Liz reminds us that ethical care begins with intentional systems, honest self-reflection, and the courage to imagine safer ways of living and working. If you’ve ever felt overextended, unseen, or unsure whether rest and healing are truly allowed, this episode offers both validation and hope.

About the Guest

Liz Frost, LICSW, is a licensed therapist and the founder of Intentional Spaces Psychotherapy. With nearly a decade of clinical experience, Liz specializes in trauma, religious harm, burnout, and relational healing.

Connect with Liz:

• Instagram: @yourhonesttherapist
• Instagram: @intentionalspaceshealing
• Podcast: With Intention
• Practice Website: https://intentionalspaces.com

About the Host

Laurel LeMohn is a trauma therapist, somatic wellness coach, and host of Spiritual Friction: Heartfelt Conversations about Personal Healing and Transformation, a mental health and healing podcast centered on real stories and the human experience. Her integrative approach blends trauma-informed care, narrative therapy, nervous system regulation, and spirituality to create grounded, compassionate spaces where people feel safe to tell the truth about their lives.

Explore more about the show, resources mentioned in this episode, and future conversations at: https://www.soulbodywellness.health

Guest

Sayra — Artist, Reiki Practitioner, Yoga Teacher, Holistic Healer

Episode Summary

In this deeply reflective episode of Spiritual Friction, Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and host, sits down with Sayra—artist, Reiki practitioner, certified yoga teacher, and holistic healer—for a powerful conversation about mental health, trauma recovery, embodiment, and the healing wisdom of water.

Sayra shares her personal journey from a childhood shaped by grief, domestic violence, and instability to a life rooted in somatic healing, nature connection, and spiritual practice. Together, Laurel and Sayra explore how trauma lives in the body, how movement and breath can restore flow, and why water—both within us and around us—may be one of our greatest teachers.

This conversation weaves together trauma-informed care, energy work, feminine embodiment, ancestral memory, and the idea that healing is not about forcing change—but about learning how to flow.

What We Explore in This Episode

• The body as a keeper of memory and unprocessed emotion
• Reiki, energy work, and embodied healing practices
• Consciousness as the foundation of all matter
• Nature as healer: grounding, water, and seasonal living
• Water as memory, medicine, and master element
• Healing through flow instead of resistance
• Trusting intuition and taking courageous risks
• Releasing identity to reclaim the Self
• Offering compassion and reassurance to the younger self

Key Quotes

“Water is the master element. It can flow, it can crash—and it teaches us how to live.”

“I didn’t know I was grieving—I just thought I was depressed.”

“What I was leaving wasn’t just a place—it was an identity.”

“Healing didn’t come from thinking. It came from coming back into my body.”

Why This Conversation Matters

Many people move through life disconnected from their bodies, intuition, and the natural rhythms meant to support healing. This episode offers a compassionate reminder that healing doesn’t require certainty or perfection—only presence, patience, and a willingness to listen.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward, this conversation invites you to soften, breathe, and remember: flow is always available.

About the Guest

Sayra is an artist, Reiki practitioner, certified yoga teacher, and holistic healer with roots in shamanic lineage practices. Her work centers on whole-person healing—mind, body, and spirit—through movement, energy work, nature connection, and consciousness-based practices. She is deeply committed to creating spaces that support embodiment, intuitive awareness, and reconnection to natural rhythms.

Connect with Sayra:

• Website: http://www.flowwithwater.com

• Facebook: Sayra Devi

About the Host

Laurel LeMohn is a trauma therapist, somatic wellness coach, and host of Spiritual Friction: Heartfelt Conversations about Personal Healing and Transformation, a mental health and healing podcast centered on real stories and the human experience. Her integrative approach weaves together trauma-informed care, narrative therapy, nervous system regulation, and spirituality to support deep emotional healing.

Explore more about the show, resources mentioned in this episode, and future conversations at https://www.soulbodywellness.health

Welcome to Spiritual Friction.

Spiritual Friction is a trauma-informed podcast offering heartfelt conversations about healing, spiritual growth, self-discovery, and what it means to be human.

In this space, real people from around the world share real stories — stories of trauma, addiction, heartbreak, burnout, identity shifts, and recovery. These are not rushed conversations or quick fixes. They are honest reflections where truth is held gently, curiosity leads the way, and meaning is allowed to unfold in its own time.

This podcast is a place to hear stories that resonate if you’ve tasted pain — and a place to find hope if you’re ready to grow beyond old patterns. Rather than telling you what to think or how to heal, Spiritual Friction meets each story where it is, offering presence, care, and connection.

Through reflective conversation, the show explores mental health, trauma recovery, nervous system regulation, emotional safety, and spiritual growth — reminding us that healing is rarely linear, and that even uncomfortable moments can carry insight and possibility.

Hosted by Laurel LeMohn, trauma therapist and somatic wellness coach, Spiritual Friction: Heartfelt Conversations about Personal Healing and Transformation, creates space for stories that help us breathe more deeply, feel less alone, and remember that our humanity is worthy of care.

Follow the show and join the conversation at https://www.soulbodywellness.health — because your voice, your story, and your presence matter.