Women’s Health Month: How Trauma & Suppressed Emotions Live in the Body │Kirsty Stark

Get in touch with us! In this Women’s Health Month special we sit down with psychotherapist, drama therapist and Bionic Breathwork facilitator Kirsty Stark for an honest conversation about women’s mental health, nervous system regulation, emotional suppression, stress, trauma and embodiment. Together we explore the hidden emotional load so many women carry and why overwhelm, anxiety, IBS, burnout and chronic stress are often deeply connected to the nervous system and the body. Kirsty shares insights from psychotherapy, drama therapy and embodied healing work to explain why women become disconnected from themselves, why so many struggle to slow down and how emotions can stay trapped in the body for years. We also discuss: Women’s health inequalities and medical gaslighting  Chronic dysregulation and “high functioning” overwhelm  The fawn response and people pleasing  Trauma stored in the body  Voice suppression and throat tension  IBS, inflammation and stress  Social conditioning and internalised misogyny  Nervous system regulation and embodiment  The impact of comparison culture and social media  Why women need safe spaces, connection and community  Pleasure as healing and self-reconnection.  This episode is a powerful reminder that women’s health is not just physical. It’s emotional, mental, energetic and deeply connected to how safe women feel to exist fully as themselves.Timestamps: 00:21 Women’s Health Gaps01:35 Hidden Dysregulation03:28 Performance and Fawning04:46 Finding Voice in Body06:53 When Emotions Get Stuck09:17 IBS and Misdiagnosis12:28 Archetypes and Witch Wound15:53 Patriarchy and Manosphere17:35 Chronic Stress and Comparison20:53 What Women Need Now23:23 Drama Therapy Explained26:06 Personal Wake-Up Calls27:55 One Small Practice👩‍💼Connect with Kirsty Kirsty Stark is a creative psychotherapist, breathwork facilitator and qualified teacher working with trauma, nervous system regulation and reflective practice. She offers online and in person psychotherapy and breathwork sessions, blending creativity, embodiment and compassionate therapeutic support. Kirsty is also developing a new venture, The Listening Shed, with updates shared across her socials: @KirstyStarkCreativeTherapist @SheLovesLife.co.📥 Resources & Next Steps 📥 Join the waitlist for Reign: The Action SpaceA weekly place for women who are done overthinking and ready to start moving.If you’re tired of thinking about the thing, circling the decision, journaling about it and still not actually doing it this space was built for you.Inside, we focus on one thing:Real movement.Simple action, reflection and omentum without overwhelm.  Insight is powerful -  but self-trust is built when you see yourself move.Join the waitlist here💛If this episode resonated, here’s where to go next: 🎧 Explore more episodes of How to Reign When it’s Raining 💌 Join our newsletter She Reigns for weekly insights and tools  📲 Connect with us on Instagram: @reignwhenitsraining  ⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, share it or leave a review - it helps more women like you find us!