The Hidden Cost of Being High Functioning

Zoey Sky is a somatic experiencing practitioner, mother, homesteader, and woman living with cystic fibrosis.In this conversation, Zoey joins Matti, Josh, and Travis to explore how trauma, grief, illness, and high-functioning survival patterns can disconnect us from the body. She shares why presence is an act of surrender, how somatic healing helps us relate differently to emotion, and why safety, connection, creativity, and play are essential parts of being fully human.The episode also explores the female nervous system, relationships, chronic illness, self-advocacy, motherhood, homesteading, and Zoey’s work through The Somatic Way. It closes with a live somatic session that helps Josh move from tension and grief back into connection with his body.Key Takeaways0:09 Welcoming Zoey Sky1:19 Living Fully With Cystic Fibrosis3:30 When High Functioning Becomes Survival5:49 Surrender as an Active Process6:13 Grief, Illness, and Losing Identity9:17 When Wellness Becomes Spiritual Bypassing10:04 Returning to the Feeling Body12:45 Helping Young Women Keep Their Inner Compass16:13 What Somatic Healing Really Means24:09 Why Humans Are Wired for Connection25:24 Understanding the Female Nervous System28:30 Somatic Fluency in Relationships30:05 Presence Without Force or Effort33:17 A Simple Nervous System Practice43:43 Protection Versus Connection52:46 Why Play Is Medicine1:01:30 Zoey’s Late Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis1:03:36 Learning to Advocate for Her Health1:10:35 The Somatic Way1:17:35 Homesteading, Motherhood, and Goats1:25:56 Live Somatic Session With Josh1:36:09 Allowing Grief to Move1:39:48 Releasing Healthy Fight Energy1:44:39 Returning From the Mind to the Body Resources Mentioned:🌿 The Somatic Way🧠 Somatic Experiencing🧘 Yoga Nidra📚 The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton🥕 Gerson Therapy🫁 Cystic fibrosis care and self-advocacyConnect with Charlie Engle:🌐 Website: https://www.zoeysky.ca/🌿 The Somatic Way: https://www.zoeysky.ca/the-somatic-way📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_zoey_sky/ 🌐 Connect with The Wisdom Matrix: www.thewisdommatrix.co