It's Okay to Want: Trauma, Embodiment, and Reclaiming Desire with Laura Khoudari

What if healing isn't about fixing yourself?What if it's about learning how to listen?In this deeply thoughtful conversation, I sit down with trauma-informed wellness expert, author, and educator Laura Khoudari to explore the intersection of trauma, strength training, embodiment, self-trust, and desire.Laura shares her personal journey from experiencing PTSD to developing a trauma-informed approach to strength training that helps people reconnect with their bodies, build nervous system capacity, and cultivate a deeper relationship with themselves.As our conversation unfolds, we move beyond exercise and into something much bigger:✨ How we learn to feel our feelings without becoming overwhelmed✨ Why nervous system regulation is a practice, not a destination✨ The role of boundaries, agency, and self-trust in healing✨ What strength training can teach us about staying present under stress✨ How eating disorder recovery opened the door to exploring desire✨ Why so many of us know what we don't want—but struggle to identify what we do want✨ The powerful shift from controlling the body to being in relationship with itOne of my favorite moments in the conversation is Laura's insight that healing often begins with something deceptively simple:"It's okay to want."Whether we're talking about food, relationships, movement, creativity, or life itself, learning to reconnect with our desires may be one of the most profound acts of healing available to us.This episode is an invitation to slow down, listen inward, and explore what becomes possible when we learn the language of our own bodies.About Laura KhoudariLaura Khoudari is a trauma-informed wellness educator, writer, and author of Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a Time. Her work explores the intersection of trauma, embodiment, strength training, eating disorder recovery, desire, and self-relationship.Connect with LauraWebsite: laurakhoudari.comSubstack: The Desk and StoveBook: Lifting Heavy Things: Healing Trauma One Rep at a TimeShare what resonated for youThank you for listening to the Spiritually Curious Therapist Podcast.  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a review - it helps us grow and reach more listeners!Until next time.  Stay Curious.You can find Jodi Silverman, LCSW atwww.therachihealing.comwww.journeywithkindredsouls.comFollow me on Socials:TikTok @spiritcurioustherapistInstagram @therachihealingFacebook @TheraChi HealingStay up to date on our offerings by joining our newsletter hereAre you interested in learning more about Reiki Assisted Psychotherapy?Join our facebook group atwww.facebook.com/groups/psychotherapeuticreikiforcliniciansAre you a mental health professional with a spiritual edge and have something to share?  Complete this form to apply to be on the podcast