The Transforming Anxiety Podcast
by Kelly McCormick
Do you struggle with anxiety? Feel as if you're trapped in a Groundhog Day loop of stress, worry, and overwhelm? Are you tired of fluffy advice from well-meaning friends and experts that leave you in the same place you started with anxiety? This podcast is the resource you've been looking for.Each week, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Kelly Hanlin McCormick will guide you on the path to true transformation around anxiety. She'll walk you through specific tools and resources to support your work with this emotion. No fluff or New Age woo involved.Tune in each week for new episodes that offer practical and pragmatic steps for you to integrate into your life. Find out more about her programs and offerings at www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com.
Episodes
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Emotional Load
Happy New Year! We made it to 2025...and so far most of what we've accomplished in Kansas City is a massive snowstorm. ❄️ Kinda fun, even if we're all climbing the walls at this point. Late last year I did an episode about "mental load" and as soon as I recorded that one, I knew I wanted to do a...
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Hope vs. Hopelessness
I'm baaaack. Again. 🤦♀️ Turns out I have, and will, take sporadic breaks from the podcast. Not because I *want * to. But because sometimes I flirt with burnout and I need to. I missed you. Big time. And I'm so glad to be back with you right as we close out the year... And I'm bringing a real...
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Meditations for Mortals w/Oliver Burkeman
Ohhhh, do I have a treat for you today. There are a few books that I recommend to clients, students, friends, family, people in line at the grocery store, you name it...and THIS guy has done it again. Oliver Burkeman is the author of the NYT Bestseller Four Thousand Weeks (that's the one I've…
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Friction Points
The idea for this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast is something I've personally been practicing with for a while...noticing those little moments or places during the day where things aren't flowing smoothly. When there are hiccups that totally derail my focus. Times when I...
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Mental Load
I recently got turned on to the idea of mental load...and I HAD to bring this one to The Transforming Anxiety Podcastand talk about it with you. Have you heard of this concept? Basically, this is all of the behind-the-scenes, "invisible" work that goes on to get the show on the road. The...
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Embracing Anxiety w/Karla McLaren
It's been a while since we've had a guest on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast, but I have some GOOD ones lined up for you in the coming months. And we're starting back in with interviews by talking with THE Karla McLaren. I have been reading, leaning on, referencing, and using Karla's books...
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Anxiety in Your Body
Let's go waaaay back to the basics today. I want to pause for a moment and consider what anxiety in your body looks like and feels like...and how you can approach it. We are taught to fight against, avoid, and try to route around most of our emotions. There's the relentless pursuit of...
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Junk Food Self-Talk
Sometimes, we get a little lost in the rabbit holes of our minds and we wind up in the junk food aisle of thought. Y'know, stuff like: Gossip Complaining Quick fixes Self-doubt Things you've thought before... We're going to explore junk food self-talk on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast…
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Words to Stop Saying
Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/269 Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com Text PODCAST to +1 (816)354-1279 and I'll send mindfulness reminders, anxiety hacks…
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The One About Overwhelm
Back to school, time for fall, changes are coming...so let's talk about what sometimes happens which is: we get overwhelmed. 😬 There are a lot of emotional experiences out there and we flow through MANY of them in a day, an hour, a minute sometimes (know what I mean?). But overwhelm is…
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How to Cope Better
Sooo, I'm thinking we all want to cope better with, well, all the things: work, kids, our own thoughts + feelings, how wild the world feels...y'know, LIFE. And in this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast I'm going to break all of it down into: Stress Stressors Maladaptive coping...
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Your Magic
Well, I've tried to do this episode a couple of times and I guess this one is tricky to pinpoint and talk directly about...but we're gonna try it anyway this week. We're talking about your magic on this episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast. What do I mean by "your magic?" I mean: the...
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Feeling It Without Being It
So, it's time for another feelings episode on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast BUT! This week we're going to explore how we can feel things without having those feelings ooze into our words and actions... Have you ever totally lost your mind with your kid because you were feeling impatient? Or...
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A Few Thoughts to Live By
Welp, we've reached mid-summer and I thought it was time to take a pause...breathe...and ground ourselves with a few go-to, tried-and-true ideas. I wanted to share a few thoughts to live by that have supported me through good times and really tough times. These are quotes, poems, and lessons I...
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Doing Silly Hard Things
I just got back from a week hiking in Colorado and I got to thinking (while I was out of breath on the side of a 14,000+ foot mountain): why do we do these silly hard things? Over and over again, humans seek ease, comfort, simplicity, and relaxation in life. We'll adjust the thermostat by *one*...
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Resentment
Oh goody, we have a fun one today on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast...we're talking about resentment. Yes. I know. But this is an important conversation for us to have. Let's be honest: we're already feeling resentful about SOMETHING with SOMEONE. We all do. It's part of the underbelly of...
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Broaden & Build
Hi again...I've missed you. And I have a GOOD one for you today on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast. Y'know when you have those days where everything just clicks? Things are going your way and you feel like some luck or magic or your benevolent angels must have a hand in ushering good things to...
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Let's Talk About Self-Compassion
Something we haven't talked about for a while, but need to return to every so often, is self-compassion. On this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast, I'm sharing a talk from a mindfulness class I taught a while back. The foundation for growth, change, and transformation HAS TO…
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I Believe You
Something *super* simple (but of course these things are never all that easy) for you this week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast...3 little words that can change relationships AND anxiety. In a good way. I. Believe. You. When we are willing to say this, I believe you, it creates space for...
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Macro vs. Micro People Pleasing
Happy Wednesday. 😊 I had this interesting epiphany a few weeks ago in a conversation with a friend of mine and thought, yup, we need to talk about that on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast. I think most of us can find ourselves somewhere on the spectrum of *people pleasers*. It's pretty…
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Predictability vs. Control
Let's be honest with each other first thing today: we like to be in control. We like to have control. We like to have things under control. We are kinda control freaks. I want to talk about something *really* subtle re: control today so that we don't wind up thinking we have control where we do...
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Birthdays
So this week we are talking about birthdays on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast...mainly, honestly, because my birthday was Monday the 22nd and because every year, I get all in a tizzy about it... ...and I've found I'm not alone with this. For *years* I've wanted to create something to…
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How to Get Out of Your Head
Over and over again, I talk with students who describe feeling as if they can't turn the volume down on the thoughts in their minds. That incessant chatter gets relentless. The stories and ideas just swirl around until it all becomes a tornado. *exhausting* Today on The Transforming Anxiety...
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A Lapse in Logic
Good morning, happy Wednesday! This week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast is a discussion about something pretty simple, but a powerful addition to the toolbox that we're all using to take care of ourselves around anxiety. And that is: the inevitable lapses in logic that occur in…
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Living Well
Well, this may be (as close as we're gonna get to) the piece de resistance of the podcast: today, we're talking about living well. Pretty much everything we do around here points to this: how can you feel okay in your skin? How can you move around the world being alright with who you are? How...
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What Community Looks Like
Ok, *today* we are going to focus on something that I know brings a lot of confusion, guilt, and pressure (aka anxiety) into our lives...and that is: what community looks like. I have experienced this myself and I talk to students every week about it. The people in our lives. Get-togethers and...
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Hold it Lightly
Good morning. ☀️ I hope this finds you well. That you're doing ok so far this week. That you're hanging in, finding some flow, letting yourself breathe, and being kind with yourself. On this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast I wanted to explore how we can move through *all the...
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Back to Transforming Anxiety
Ahhhhh, it's good to be back...back to transforming anxiety. I missed you. In this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast I'm sharing a bit with you about why I took a(n unplanned) break, how I personally struggle a bit, and what we have to look forward to together: work that I want…
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Taking Out the Trash
This week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we're going to talk about that inner pileup of garbage that happens after days, weeks, months, YEARS of conversations, work, get-togethers, parenting, and activities. Alllll the garbage that starts gumming up the works, internally. The residue that...
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The Neighbor's Dandelions
I don't know about you, but I looooove to put my nose into other people's business. (Except I do know about you...I'm guessing you do this, too. Only about 100% of my students and friends and family do it. 🙃) I mean, from our vantage point, we can so clearly see what they should be doing, right?...
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Time Confetti
I have something that sounds fun today, but is way more important than its cute little name and that is: time confetti. Have you ever had the feeling that you should have more time in your days and weeks than you do? Or sat down to relax for a few minutes and then looked at the clock to realize...
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What's New in the New Year
New year! But same me. Same you. Same all of us. This week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast is a "what's new in the new year" but also an acknowledgment of: not much. 🙃 Goals, resolutions, and plans are all *great*. Yup. And also...maybe we can just slow-roll the new year and…
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Enough as You Are w/Scott Stabile
To start out the new year, I am SO excited to bring a really great conversation to you on this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast. I'm talking with Scott Stabile, author, teacher, and love activist, about his new book: Enough As You Are. This book is an absolute must read. Pick…
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Joy
Tis the season, friend...this week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we're going to talk about joy. It seems we have a verrrrry tricky dynamic with joy. Have you noticed? We want to feel happy. We crave ease and contentment. And then, as soon as we feel like things are going okay, a nagging…
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Personal Definitions
Ohhh this is gonna be a good conversation heading into the holidays...something I talk about with EVERY single student of mine is their own personal definitions. Meaning: What do YOU think success looks like? What do YOU think a good friend does / says? What do YOU think it means to be a…
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The Director's Cut
Y'know how movies sometimes have the "director's cut" where they play the whole movie with the filmmaker(s) speaking over the top of it, giving insights and outtakes and ideas about the whole process? Today, on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast, I want to use this Hollywood idea and apply it…
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Expectations
This one seems timely, given where we're at in the year...and, I don't know, history. Let's talk about expectations today. Should we raise our expectations? Lower them? Drop them altogether? And where the hell do our expectations come from in the first place? Yeah... This isn't a step-by-step...
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2 Contradictory Approaches
On this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast, we're going to hang out in the gray a bit. That messy middle between the extremes of "all or nothing" and "right or wrong." That murky space where most of life is lived. We're going to explore 2 contradictory approaches that we can...
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Our Lying Minds
Good morning, happy Wednesday. ☺️ It's time for a(nother) conversation about thoughts. We circle back to our thinking from time to time around here because it's so dang important. We tend to glorify thinking in our culture; we definitely consider thinking to be a "higher" power than feeling....
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Ok, Ok, a Gratitude Episode
Welp, we've made it to November. Which means: everyone is gonna start talking about gratitude. So, ok, ok, I put together a gratitude episode for us. 🙄 Ha, ok, it's not all bad. I roll my eyes at gratitude a *little bit* because it sounds so damn cheesy. We hear about it all. the. time. and it...
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Scare Your Soul w/Scott Simon
I have another amazing interview for you this week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast...Scott Simon is joining me to talk about his book, Scare Your Soul. And this is far more than a book: it's an entire *movement*. Scott is a speaker, entrepreneur, and writer. And he has completely…
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Reacting to Emotions
How are you? I'm so glad that we get to hang out each week. That you make space for these notes in your inbox. That you join me on this path of transforming anxiety and self-compassion and kindness and awareness. I truly believe this is the most important work of our lives. And it means a lot…
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Keep the Bridges, Burn the Boats
This week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast I want to consider a phrase I know you've heard before, don't burn your bridges, alongside a less common idea, burn the boats. It's a fiery mash-up this week. We're going to explore why it's important to keep the bridges, burn the boats. This...
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Polyvagal Theory w/Deb Dana
I have a wonderful guest for you today. I am SO excited for this episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast. Honestly, this one isn't optional. This work isn't a "nice to have" kind of thing. I don't think I can overstate how important polyvagal theory is in the world of transforming…
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Preemptive Quitting
This week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety is literally straight from my heart to yours. We're talking about preemptive quitting this week. Why? Because this is the sit-down-pay-attention-clear-the-decks talk I had to have with myself recently. Preemptive quitting is when you quit ahead…
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Why Change is So Hard
Something I think we all *know* but don't spend much time understanding is that: change is hard. On this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast, I wanted to explore it with you on a deeper level. WHY is change so hard? There are a couple different kinds of change that happens in…
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Underneath the Conversation
Time for some real talk: this week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast, we're going underneath the conversation... Y'know how when you're talking with someone, there are the words that are actually being said, the back-and-forth dialogue that is happening out loud...and then there's the inner...
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Generation Anxiety w/Dr. Lauren Cook
I'm SO excited to be back to our conversations with authors, psychologists, and all-around amazing people. This week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast I have a brand-new book to share with you: Generation Anxiety: A Millennial and Generation Z Guide to Staying Afloat in an Uncertain World...
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Naming the Things
Super quick, simple, and powerful practice for you today on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast: we're going to talk about naming the things. Most of the time, we're lost in our thinking. We're telling stories about what's happening, we're fighting against how we're feeling or doing our…
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The Boat, The Volcano, The Mountaintop, The Tide
This week's Transforming Anxiety Podcast is all about giving you a handful of tools that you can use to take care of yourself when you're really *in it* with anxiety. We're going to talk about the boat, the volcano, the mountaintop, and the tide. These are all mental images, drawn from…
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About this show
Do you struggle with anxiety? Feel as if you're trapped in a Groundhog Day loop of stress, worry, and overwhelm? Are you tired of fluffy advice from well-meaning friends and experts that leave you in the same place you started with anxiety? This podcast is the resource you've been looking for.Each week, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Kelly Hanlin McCormick will guide you on the path to true transformation around anxiety. She'll walk you through specific tools and resources to support your work with this emotion. No fluff or New Age woo involved.Tune in each week for new episodes that offer practical and pragmatic steps for you to integrate into your life. Find out more about her programs and offerings at www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com.
Hosted by
Kelly McCormick