We unpack how shame forms in childhood and why it feels different from guilt, then offer concrete ways to protect learning, autonomy, and connection at home, in school, and in relationships. Scripts, strategies, and mindset shifts help replace criticism with compassionate feedback.

• defining shame as a belief about worth, not behavior
• guilt as a teacher that guides change
• how tone and reactions encode shame during mistakes
• fear, perfectionism, and the I’m in trouble loop
• family systems and sibling dynamics shaping identity
• school labels, confirmation bias, and growth mindset
• co-regulation, connection before correction, and scripts
• feedback as a two-way process that preserves safety
• using repair, do-overs, and specific observations

If you're looking to learn more about this topic or others, feel free to like subscribe and follow "And Still We Rise"!

To learn more about the work Sara does at Rise Therapy Center, or any other services we offer, you can find them below!

https://www.risetherapycenter.com/sara

IG: @seenbysarak

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.

Your nervous system learned about love long before you had words. In this conversation, we follow that thread from early implicit memory to the patterns many of us feel in adult relationships—chasing, shutting down, or spinning between the two—and we unpack a kinder way forward. We explore the spectrum of attachment styles with clarity and nuance, showing how secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized patterns actually feel during conflict and what they signal beneath the surface.

We dig into why secure attachment isn’t the absence of disagreement but the presence of clear thinking, emotional range, and timely repair. For anxious responses, we talk about flooding, impulsivity, and the urge to pursue for relief. For avoidant responses, we name the quiet danger of numbness and faux self-sufficiency. When disorganization enters the room, we map the chaotic swings between fight, flight, freeze, and fawn, and we emphasize the need for pacing, safety, and often professional support to prevent harm and restore clarity.

Most importantly, we offer practical steps to widen your window of tolerance and rewire old rules through new experiences. Somatic reparenting becomes a simple, powerful tool: a steady hand, slower breath, and curious questions that help you hear what your younger self needs right now. From time-bound pauses that honor reconnection to concise repair language that lowers defensiveness, you’ll leave with grounded strategies to reduce resentment and build trust. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show. Your inner child is loved, accepted, and important—and you can learn to love in ways that feel safe to your body.

Looking to begin a conversation with your little one? Try these prompts:

“Sweet one… what’s going on?”
“Are you feeling small, unimportant, or unsafe right now?”
“Did someone hurt your feelings…
or speak to you unkindly?”

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.

What happens when we step outside our comfortable social bubbles? Licensed Professional Counselor Lauren Buice joins Cristine Seidell to explore how intentionally building diverse friendships transforms not just our communities, but our mental health.

The conversation begins with a crucial reframing – diversity extends far beyond race and gender to include age differences, socioeconomic backgrounds, religious beliefs, and abilities. Lauren explains how staying in homogeneous social groups creates harmful "echo chambers" that reinforce our biases and actually increase our anxiety when confronting differences. Through her touching personal story of living with 80-year-old Glenda, she demonstrates how intergenerational friendships provide unique perspective and wisdom that same-age relationships simply cannot offer.

Using her hand-drawn "Comfort-Stretch-Panic zones" model, Lauren visually illustrates a counterintuitive truth: the more we stay in our comfort zone, the smaller it becomes. By regularly stretching ourselves through diverse connections, we gradually expand what feels comfortable, building cognitive flexibility and resilience that serves us throughout life.

For those feeling overwhelmed by the idea of diversifying their communities, Lauren offers gentle, practical starting points – pursue activities you genuinely enjoy where diverse people naturally gather, engage in volunteer work with a shared purpose, or explore community centers and libraries. She provides a powerful litmus test for authentic intentions: "Am I looking to learn or looking to earn?" Would you still participate if you couldn't tell anyone or post about it?

Perhaps most compelling is Lauren's insight that diverse communities enhance our capacity for processing life's hardest moments. Different cultures and communities offer varied approaches to grief, trauma, and healing. By expanding our circles, we gain access to a wealth of coping tools and wisdom that wouldn't be available in homogeneous groups.

Ready to expand your bubble? Listen now to discover how getting a little uncomfortable might be the best thing for your mental health.

To work with Lauren and or learn more about the work she does, you can find her at:

https://www.risetherapycenter.com/lauren

Or on IG @laurenrisetherapycenter.com

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.

Allison Robinson returns to continue our conversation on conscious dating, focusing on how to intentionally navigate the process of meeting potential partners and establishing authentic connections.

• Approaching dating with a mindset of worthiness and confidence rather than scarcity
• Focusing on learning from each connection rather than making every relationship work
• The importance of authenticity when communicating with potential partners
• Understanding the difference between dating someone for who they are versus their potential
• Why behavior is a more reliable indicator than words when evaluating compatibility
• Recognizing red, yellow, and green flags in dating relationships
• How a person responds to boundaries is one of the clearest indicators of relationship potential
• The value of trusting your body's intuitive responses when dating
• Giving yourself permission to end connections that don't feel right without needing a dramatic reason

Join us next time as we discuss conscious commitment and the transition from dating to committed relationships.

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.

Conscious dating means intentionally seeking a partner who aligns with your values, goals, and life vision while you continue to grow as a whole person outside the relationship.

• Dating yourself first and building a strong foundation of self-love before seeking a relationship
• Creating your "ice cream sundae" of life with a relationship as just the sprinkles on top
• Ensuring financial independence and strong social connections as protection against toxic relationships
• Identifying your core values, passions, and non-negotiables before entering the dating scene
• Recognizing red flags like love-bombing, extreme views about family members, and disrespect toward others
• Looking for green flags such as self-awareness, respect for your autonomy, and healthy communication
• Giving relationships at least three months to develop before making serious emotional commitments
• Dating apps can provide practice in identifying compatible qualities, but meeting organically often yields better results
• Being clear about boundaries and willing to walk away when your standards aren't met

Listen to Part 2 of this conversation where we'll dive deeper into conscious dating and how to move toward conscious commitment.

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.

We explore how emotionally immature parents shape our sense of self, nervous system, and ability to experience joy and connection, examining the patterns that indicate this upbringing and the path toward healing.

• Parents who operate from a self-focused place with emotional unpredictability, inability to see your world, or who relied on you for their comfort
• Children develop their sense of self through reflection and attunement from adults, with healthy attachments creating safety and self-acceptance
• Emotionally immature parenting creates the belief that your truest self is flawed, invisible, or that love must be earned through perfection
• "Internalizers" adapt by ignoring their needs for others, leading to self-doubt, anxiety, people-pleasing, and difficulty with boundaries in adulthood
• "Externalizers" turn outward for emotional regulation, often blaming others, acting impulsively, and engaging in self-sabotaging behaviors as adults
• Healing is possible for both types, though the journey tends to be more straightforward for internalizers due to their natural capacity for self-reflection

Subscribe, share, and like this video if you know someone who might benefit from this information. Stay tuned for deeper dives into internalizers and externalizers in upcoming episodes.

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.

What if the places where you feel most stuck contain your greatest wisdom? This guided meditation invites you on a gentle journey inward to discover the profound insights hidden within your emotional barriers.

Through intentional breathing and somatic awareness, we'll help you locate where stuckness resides in your physical body—whether as heaviness in your chest, a knot in your belly, or tightness in your throat. Rather than trying to fix or overcome these sensations, you'll learn to approach them with curiosity and compassion, recognizing them as the voice of your inner child waiting to be heard.

#InnerWisdom
#GuidedHealing
#EmotionalWellness
#SomaticMeditation
#InnerChildWork
#HealingIsPossible
#SelfHealingJourney
#SlowDownToFeel
#MeditationForClarity
#FromStuckToFree
#YouAreBecoming
#CompassionateAwareness
#TraumaHealingTools
#MentalHealthMatters
#PauseAndBreathe

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.

We've forgotten how to simply enjoy activities without turning them into a side hustle or productivity metric. In this heartfelt conversation with licensed therapist and "resident crafter" Kaylee Finley, we explore how creative hobbies provide essential nourishment for our mental health and authentic self-expression.

Kaylee shares a profound perspective on why creative pursuits matter beyond their output: "When we engage in fiber arts, we're participating in historic traditions tens of thousands of years old. You're not only making art for your soul and future generations, you're embodying the work of your ancestors." This connection to past, present and future through creativity helps anchor our identity beyond professional roles or relationships.

The discussion delves into why many adults resist playful activities despite their therapeutic benefits. Our achievement-oriented culture conditions us to feel guilty about "unproductive" time, leading to a disconnection from our playful inner child. Even in therapy settings, clients often resist playful regulation techniques until experiencing their effectiveness firsthand. Kaylee emphasizes that creative flow states naturally process emotions our conscious mind might avoid, making hobbies powerful tools for emotional regulation.

For those feeling disconnected from creativity, Kaylee suggests starting with activities you enjoyed as a child—whether coloring, friendship bracelets, or finger painting. The key is approaching these activities with curiosity rather than perfectionism. As she reminds us through her own baking mishaps, even experienced crafters face frustration, but working through these moments teaches valuable life lessons about persistence and acceptance.

Ready to reclaim your right to creative joy? Try reconnecting with a childhood hobby this week and give yourself permission to make a mess without worrying about the cleanup. Your mental health will thank you.

If you would like to learn more about Kaylee and the work she does visit her at: www.risetherapycenter.com/kaylee

You can also find her on IG @brighterskiescounseling

Thank you for tuning into And Still WE Rise! If you would like to learn more about me or the work our practice is doing, feel free to follow us on Instagram at:

@atltherapygirl and @risetherapycenter

Or check us out at www.risetherapycenter.com

Disclaimer: And Still We Rise is meant to provide perspective and meaningful conversations around mental health topics. It is not meant to provide specific therapeutic advise to individuals. If anything in these podcasts resonates, ASWR recommends consulting with your individual therapist or seeking a referral from your primary care physician.