Staying Power 02-25-26 JD's Eighteen Months In Fight, Flight, and Freeze

Episode 111: "JD's Eighteen Months In Fight, Flight, and Freeze" Recently, JD spent 18 months navigating uncertainty, professional identity shifts, financial recalibration, and invisible pressure. He didn’t think he was “falling apart.” He thought he was adapting. Surviving. Doing what adults do. But when a new opportunity emerged and his stress levels suddenly dropped, he realized something sobering: he had normalized living in a high-cortisol state — and his body had paid the price. In this episode of Staying Power, Ashley and JD explore how chronic stress becomes invisible, what it does to the brain and body over time, and how to bring yourself back from survival mode — even when life legitimately demands a lot from you.