The Things We Were Never Taught to Hold EP 90

A recent breathwork session took me somewhere I wasn't expecting.Back to the room where I watched my stepdad die.What surfaced wasn't just grief. It was the realization that, for years, I'd been carrying emotions I never learned how to hold. Fear. Heartbreak. Guilt. Love. Loneliness. And like so many of us, I became really good at escaping them instead.In this deeply personal episode, I share what unfolded during that breathwork journey, the unexpected conversation it opened with myself, and the moment I realized alcohol was never the real problem, it was how I had learned to survive emotions that felt too big to stay with.I talk about what it really means to build emotional capacity, how the nervous system stores unresolved experiences, and why healing isn't about becoming someone who never feels pain. It's about becoming someone who no longer has to run from it.If you've ever struggled with grief, emotional overwhelm, anxiety, alcohol, burnout, or feeling disconnected from yourself, I hope this conversation reminds you that you're not broken. You may simply have never been taught how to hold what hurts.In this episode you can expect that we'll talk about:Grief and unresolved lossBreathwork and nervous system regulationEmotional regulation and emotional capacityThe connection between alcohol and emotional avoidanceSomatic healing and listening to the body's wisdomSelf-compassion after lossLearning to stay with yourself instead of escapingSometimes the bravest thing we can do isn't move on.Sometimes it's finally staying.Looking for somewhere to have conversations like this?Every Wednesday at 8 PM EST, I host a free community call for women who are sober, alcohol-free, or questioning their relationship with alcohol. We talk about the stuff that comes with choosing to live differently... the rebuilding, the relationships, the identity shifts, the hard days, and figuring out what you actually want your life to look like now.You don't need to have it all figured out, and you don't need to be a certain number of days, months or years alcohol-free. Come listen, share, connect, and be around other women who get it.Join us for free → https://thedeliberateone.com/the-deliberate-community🔁 Ongoing support: The Deliberate Practice — a steady rhythm of nervous system regulation, breathwork, and integration.Explore everything at thedeliberateone.com Connect on Instagram @thedeliberateoneIf this episode supported you, you can buy me a coffee here