Emotional Regulation Doesn't Mean "Calm": The Path through Burnout, Anxiety and Shame

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text!Emotional regulation isn’t “stay calm and never fall apart.” It’s being able to feel anger, grief, joy, fear, and everything in between while staying connected to your body and in control of what you do next. That single shift changes how we understand burnout, anxiety, and the shame so many high-achieving women carry when they can’t “just handle it.”Mary Rothwell sits down with Felicia Brown, LPC, a trauma-informed therapist, speaker, and emotional regulation coach who helps high performers break free from overthinking and productivity-based self-worth. Felicia shares the real-life catalyst behind her work: the post-COVID surge in student anxiety, the lack of rural mental health resources, and the life-altering experience of adopting three children with complex PTSD. Together we talk about why love doesn’t magically erase trauma, why healing is messy, and why your nervous system can keep scanning for danger even when your life is now safe.We also get practical. Felicia explains what “trauma-informed” actually means, how true triggers differ from everyday frustration, and why rewiring starts with safety and tiny body-based steps, not a perfect plan. We dig into guilt and rest, the myth that ambition equals burnout, and the truth that you can’t self-care your way out of a broken system. You’ll leave with simple, doable ways to start regulating today, including stacking two-minute practices into moments you already have and experimenting with doing 20% less without losing your edge.Subscribe, share this with a woman who needs permission to breathe, and leave a review with the biggest takeaway you want to remember.You can find Felicia HEREhttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/felicia-brown-streator-il/1461420Support the showBUY ME A COFFEE or SUPPORT ALFIE'S TREAT STASHLearn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE.Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at [email protected]. Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingvioletsFollow me on Facebook and Instagram, and check out my website!