Chronicles of the Phoenix

One year ago, we made the decision to leave full-time work and build something of our own. In this episode, we reflect on what this past year has really taught us. Not just about running a business, but about identity, connection, and what it means to build something while also being changed by it. We talk about the people who shaped this experience in meaningful ways, the role of connection and community, and what we’ve learned from being in rooms with others who are building something of their own. We also share the mistakes, the moments that didn’t go as planned, and the realities that don’t always get talked about when you step outside of something known and into something new. Woven into this conversation is a deeper thread. Growth often requires letting go of versions of ourselves we once depended on. There are moments in the process that feel like breaking down before they feel like becoming something new. This episode is not just for business owners. It’s for anyone who has taken a risk, made a change, or found themselves in the middle of something that is still unfolding. Brand Videos by Teresa Hnat Studio: https://www.phoenixrisect.com/videos Teresa Hnat Studio: https://www.teresahnat.com/ Resilience Circle Special Event Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/resilience-circle-special-event-cojourn-with-molly-keehn-edd-tickets-1988570843925

During Mental Health Awareness Month, conversations about mental health are more visible than ever - but awareness alone doesn’t always translate into access, support, or meaningful change. In this episode, we explore the realities behind mental health stigma and the barriers that still exist when it comes to asking for and receiving help. We spend time talking specifically about boys and men, how they are often socialized away from emotional expression, and the impact that has on help‑seeking and mental health outcomes. We also look at how our systems are designed to respond to crisis -when things have already reached a breaking point -while often overlooking the quieter, less urgent space in between. This is where deeper work happens: work around childhood experiences, attachment patterns, trauma, identity, and values. While crisis care is essential, it is only part of the picture. Sustainable mental health is built in the space between those moments, through ongoing support, reflection, and intentional work. This conversation is an invitation to think differently about mental health. Not just as something to address when things fall apart, but as something to understand, invest in, and tend to over time.

What happens when you walk into a professional conference and everything signals that you don’t have to perform? In this episode, we share an experience from a recent conference where the theme was not just decorative, but intentional. A circus. Playful. Unexpected. And immediately, something shifted. People softened. Conversations felt different. Connection came easier. From that moment, we explore a deeper question: what happens when environments give people permission to be human? We discuss the role of connection in the workplace and beyond, why loneliness and disconnection were problems long before COVID, and how connection drives real outcomes like engagement, retention, and performance. We also reflect on moments of alignment with other organizations and what it means to truly “find your people.” Most importantly, we unpack why play is often misunderstood. It is not something you schedule or add on top of a demanding culture. It is something that emerges when people feel safe, seen, and allowed to show up more fully. We also explore the real tension leaders, parents, and individuals face. When pressure is high, play can feel optional. But its absence quietly impacts energy, creativity, connection, and sustainability over time. This episode is not just for leaders. It is for anyone who has felt the difference between environments that require performance and those that allow you to simply be.

Spring break travel has a way of revealing exactly who we are. What we need, what stresses us out, and where we thrive becomes much clearer when we leave our routines behind. In this episode, we take the Enneagram on the road and explore how each type tends to show up while traveling. We share Enneagram‑informed insights into how different types plan or avoid planning, handle stress, seek freedom or structure, and navigate group dynamics on trips. Along the way, we weave in personal stories from Erin’s recent Type 7 trip to New York with loose plans and lots of options, and Courtney’s upcoming Type 9 trip to Paris, where the desire to go with the flow meets anxiety and a familiar stress‑line pull toward Type 6 planning. This is a lighter, playful episode with real insight about why travel can feel regulating for some people and deeply overwhelming for others. We talk about how awareness of your Enneagram type can help you travel with more compassion for yourself and the people you’re with, and how naming needs ahead of time can make trips more enjoyable for everyone involved. Whether you love an itinerary or thrive on vibes, this episode invites you to understand your travel style a little better and maybe plan your next trip with less stress and more grace.

This episode is an invitation to slow down and notice the progress we so easily overlook. Inspired by a poem from Haley Grace that begins, “I might not be everything I want to be today, but I am everything I wanted to be two years ago,” we explore why healing often goes unnoticed and why acknowledging how far we’ve come matters just as much as envisioning where we’re going. We talk about the tendency to constantly move the goalpost, to live in future‑focused growth, and to miss the fact that many of us are already standing in a life we once begged for. This is not an episode about manifesting or striving. It’s about presence, perspective, and integration. Through stories from our own lives, our clinical work, and experiences with clients and kids, we reflect on how healing shows up quietly. We also unpack why our brains struggle to hold onto past progress and how intentional “lookbacks” help the nervous system register safety, change, and growth. This conversation is for anyone who feels behind, impatient with their healing, or disconnected from the evidence of who they’ve already become. You don’t have to be everything yet. But the fact that you’re here, that you stayed, that things that once felt unbearable are now just things - "that has to count for something."

This episode is a compassionate, honest look at what is really driving the anxiety crisis among children and adolescents in the United States, and why so many kids are struggling under the weight of pressure that was never meant for them to carry. Using Alex Warren’s song “You’ll Be Alright Kid” as a grounding thread, we explore how today’s kids are growing up inside multiple pressure systems at once. Academic performance, hyper‑competitive youth sports, social media validation loops, and well‑intentioned but conditional approval have quietly taught many kids that their worth is something they must earn. We examine what the data tells us about the rise in youth anxiety, unpack the role of ego and external validation, and discuss why social media has become such a powerful amplifier of identity collapse. We also break down a landmark legal verdict in which Meta and YouTube were found negligent for engineering addictive platforms targeted at children, confirming what many parents have sensed for years: this is not a willpower issue or a parenting failure. It is a systemic design problem. To offer hope, we look outside the U.S. to Norway, where a child‑centered approach to sports, development, and boundaries around technology has produced not only healthier kids, but extraordinary long‑term outcomes. The contrast reveals that protecting childhood is not about lowering standards. It is about redefining what success means. This episode closes with tangible ways parents, coaches, educators, and caring adults can shift the message kids are receiving every day and begin cultivating internal validation, emotional resilience, and unconditional belonging. At its core, this episode asks a simple but critical question: What if kids didn’t grow up believing they were only as good as their last result?

Turning 40 deserves its own moment, and this episode is exactly that. To celebrate Courtney stepping into a new decade, we’re doing something special: Erin and our first‑ever guest, Bill Cox, take over the mic to interview her with a mix of heartfelt curiosity, unhinged humor, and questions she absolutely did not see coming. We open with a light reflection on how birthdays shape identity and how midlife actually feels (spoiler: not the crisis culture promised). Then the real fun begins as Erin and Bill ask Courtney their hand‑picked questions that cover everything from personal growth to pure chaos. A few of the questions they ask include: What are you most looking forward to over the next decade? Who are you becoming that 20‑year‑old Courtney would admire? And be honest… who is harder to co‑regulate, Erin or Bill? This episode is playful, honest, and full of the kind of laughter and storytelling that lets listeners get to know Courtney in a whole new way. Whether you’re approaching your own milestone or just here for the celebration, this one is full of midlife magic and birthday energy in all the best ways.

This episode explores the deeply human, biologically driven patterns that lead us to protect ourselves when we feel exposed. Courtney and Erin take listeners through the neuroscience of defensiveness, how shame triggers activate the limbic system, and why our bodies shift into self‑protection before we even realize it. Grounded in Brené Brown’s research, the episode examines the types of emotional armor people use—perfectionism, shutting down, deflecting, overexplaining—and how these patterns develop as responses to perceived disconnection or unworthiness. The conversation also highlights how simple phrases like “Can we talk?” can activate a threat response, especially in moments of stress, and how our internal narratives often shape our reactions more than the situation itself. The episode emphasizes the paradox that while vulnerability fosters trust, defensiveness can block the very connection we need. Ultimately, the message is clear: defensiveness is not a flaw—it’s a nervous system response we can learn to understand, soften, and move through. By recognizing our armor, questioning the stories we tell ourselves, and practicing vulnerable communication with safe people, we create space for connection, belonging, and emotional clarity.

In this lighter, laughter‑filled episode, Courtney & Erin invite you into the winter versions of themselves — the cozy, the chaotic, the exhausted, and the slightly unhinged. If you’ve ever wondered why winter changes your motivation, your mood, or your entire personality, this one’s for you. Blending humor with real seasonal science (circadian rhythms, sunlight, dopamine dips, energy changes) and referencing Katherine May’s beautiful book Wintering, we explore why winter truly hits differently — biologically, emotionally, and socially. We also share the coping mechanisms that keep us afloat (the helpful, the harmless, and the unhinged), plus our favorite comfort shows that get us through the season. Expect storytelling, personal confessions, and plenty of “oh my god, SAME” moments as you get to know your hosts in a deeper, more playful way. This episode is all about giving yourself permission to slow down, soften, and find humor in the parts of winter that make us all a little feral. You’re not broken — you’re just human in February.

What if the story you believe about yourself didn’t start with you? In this episode, Courtney and Erin explore how limiting beliefs take root in early experiences—often before we’re old enough to understand or question them—and how those beliefs silently shape the risks we take, the challenges we avoid, and the version of ourselves we allow to exist in the world. Drawing inspiration from Jen Hatmaker’s "Awake", we look at how small childhood moments become lifelong narratives, how culture, religion, and other powerful systems benefit when we disconnect from our intuition, and how integration (mind + body + inner knowing) helps us rewrite the beliefs that have been holding us back. This conversation invites you to: • Trace your limiting beliefs back to their origins • Understand who or what benefits when you doubt yourself • Reconnect with the intuition you were taught to override • Take the small risks that reshape identity • Step into the version of yourself you’ve been holding back If you’re ready to outgrow the story that no longer fits—and move toward challenges and opportunities with clarity, courage, and self-trust—this one’s for you.

When life feels heavy or hopeless, it’s easy to believe that nothing you do will make a difference. But relational theory and systems thinking tell a very different story: change in one part of a system inevitably impacts the whole. In this episode, Courtney and Erin explore why hopelessness is often relational, not personal-and how even the smallest shift in your behavior, boundaries, or presence can create meaningful ripple effects in your relationships, families, workplaces, and communities. Through the lens of relational theory, we break down: -Why hopelessness emerges when we lose a sense of connection or influence -How systems reorganize when just one person changes their pattern -Why micro-level actions lead to macro-level impact -How to take grounded, authentic action (even when you feel stuck) Packed with real-world examples, practical tools, and a compassionate approach to resilience, this conversation is an invitation to step back into your power—not by changing everything, but by shifting one thing. If you’ve been overwhelmed, exhausted, or unsure where to begin… this episode is a reminder that you are part of the system, and that means you’re part of the solution. Take a look at the "First Follower" video referenced in this episode: https://youtu.be/fW8amMCVAJQ

In this episode, we dive into the Enneagram—a powerful framework for understanding the nine core motivations that shape how we think, feel, and act. When you know what truly drives you (and the people around you), you can create change that lasts, improve relationships, and build stronger teams. We’ll cover: -A quick overview of all nine Enneagram types and their core motivations -Why understanding motivation is the key to sustainable growth -How this insight transforms personal development, family dynamics, and workplace collaboration -Practical steps to apply the Enneagram in everyday life Join us for a conversation that blends insight, real-life examples, and actionable takeaways to help you leverage motivation for meaningful change. Want to learn more about your enneagram type? Take the test: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/rheti/

It’s the last episode of the year, and we’re getting real about what 2025 looked like for us—the highs, the lessons, and the surprises along the way. We’ll share how our words of the year shaped our choices (and sometimes challenged us!) and interview each other with questions that are both meaningful and fun. Then, we’ll guide you through a simple but powerful practice to set intentions for 2026 by choosing your own word of the year. Instead of rigid resolutions, this approach focuses on the feelings you want to experience and the values you want to live by. Research shows that intention-based practices are more sustainable and fulfilling than traditional resolutions—and we’ll show you how to make it work for you. You’ll hear: -Honest reflections on how we lived into our 2025 words -Why intentions beat resolutions for lasting change -A step-by-step exercise to discover your word for 2026 -Practical tips to anchor your word and keep it alive all year long Grab a cozy spot, reflect with us, and set yourself up for an intentional, aligned new year. Your word is waiting.

In this episode, Courtney and Erin explore how constant comparison and external pressures—especially amplified by social media and seasonal expectations—can rob us of joy and disconnect us from what truly matters. Drawing inspiration from Andrea Gibson’s poem Instead of Depression and insights from Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, they unpack the difference between external and intrinsic motivation, why acceptance is the foundation for alignment, and how to start small when building habits that feel authentic. You’ll hear: Why comparison fuels anxiety and erodes motivation How intrinsic motivation leads to joy and sustainability Practical ways to listen to your body and act in alignment with your values Simple steps to break free from “shoulds” and reclaim your energy Join us for a conversation that feels like a breath of fresh air—full of honesty, humor, and actionable takeaways to help you choose what feels like life.

Explore gratitude beyond the holiday table in this episode of Chronicles of the Phoenix. Inspired by the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, we dive into everyday magic, ancestral wisdom, and intuitive practices that help us heal and belong. Perfect for the season of reflection.

How can humor help us heal? In this episode, we explore the science and soul behind laughter as a coping tool for stress and trauma. From first responders to healers, discover why humor—yes, even dark humor—can be a lifeline in high-pressure professions. We unpack its power to build resilience, foster connection, and bring light to the darkest places. Tune in for stories, insights, and a fresh perspective on why laughter truly heals.

*Trigger Warning* This episode includes discussion of suicide. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider reaching out to a mental health professional or contacting a crisis line in your area. In this episode, Erin and Courtney explore the transformative power of leaning into pain rather than avoiding it. Through personal stories, reflective insights, and grounded conversation, they unpack how discomfort can be a gateway to growth, healing, and deeper self-awareness. Whether it's emotional pain, grief, or the unease of change, the episode invites listeners to reframe discomfort as a necessary part of the human experience—one that, when embraced, can lead to resilience, clarity, and connection.

As we lean into the fall season, a lot is changing. In this episode, join your hosts for a discussion on how to know when change is upon us, and how to release what is no longer serving us so we can move toward something better. We explore the emotional, mental, and practical sides of letting go--and how to begin. The poem written by E.H. recited: "Hold on, hold on, hold on" they said, "You're a dandelion in the breeze, Look what the winds of change have done to all these autumn leaves." "Hold on, hold on, hold on, This big wide world is not for you, Hold on for long enough for the last gust to dance on through." So I held on, held on, held on, They said that's how you know you're strong, But not until I wilted did I notice something wrong. I thought holding on was bravery, But when winds of change do blow, Sometimes it's even braver still to let go, let go, let go.

Get to know your podcast hosts, Erin and Courtney, as they share their personal journeys, the origin of Chronicles of the Phoenix, and more!

Listen for a quick overview of what you can expect from future episodes and an introduction to your hosts, Erin & Courtney.