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  • Home
  • About Kaitlin
  • Somatic Workbook [Pre-Order]
  • Podcast & Blog
  • Learn with Kaitlin
  • Contact
  • FREE STRESS RELIEF TRAINING

Moving Through Anxiety To The ‘Mighty Me’ You Want To Be

with Dr. Jill Stoddard
Please ‘Subscribe‘ and leave a review if this podcast has benefited you.

Welcome to a bonus episode of the Wisdom for Wellbeing Podcast. On this episode I interview Dr. Jill Stoddard, a brilliant author, a relatable human, and an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

This episode seems so timely as I know lots of us experience significant stress, overwhelm and anxiety, which so frequently negatively impacts our days and our lives. I was fortunate to read Dr. Stoddard’s new book Be Mighty: A Woman’s Guide to Liberation from Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Using Mindfulness and Acceptance over the holidays and it provided a beautiful space to reflect on the ‘Mighty Me’ that I am creating. So, I am really excited to now be sharing this conversation with Dr. Stoddard with you, as I know the chances are that you too have experienced that uncomfortable sense of overwhelm and anxiety in your life. Dr. Stoddard is skilled in explaining stress, anxiety, fear and the like, as well as detailing effective strategies to move forward creating a life by design – a mighty life. She is open in sharing her own struggles, and clearly lives all the wisdom she shares here today. So, your first mighty action – put in those ear buds!

We have just finished the Wisdom for Wellbeing Podcast launch week – but, this is a bonus episode to help you face Monday with Might! And, we still have a couple of days left to celebrate with our social media giveaway finishing up on Wellbeing Wednesday. So head to @drkaitlin on Instagram or @wisdomforwellbeingpod on Facebook to connect and go in the running to win some beautiful gifts to support your wellbeing journey. You will find links to the brands involved at the bottom of the show notes, as well as the T&Cs.

What is covered in this episode:

>> Theories around how the environment women are living in increases the likelihood of experiencing both fear and higher rates of anxiety

>> The difference between fear and anxiety, and how we have been designed to find answers (and avoid uncertainty)

>> Steps to changing your relationship with anxiety (Hint: it involves opening up more, rather than ‘getting rid of’)

>> Why a moderate level of anxiety is actually beneficial to performance

>> Getting familiar with your ‘suit of armour’ and your ‘I’m not good enough story’ (turns out we all have one!)

>> The importance of reflecting on, and connecting with, the small moments that ultimately create your life

>> Reflecting on the qualities you want to embody in your life, and the practice of consciously showing up as the person you want to be (rather than on auto pilot)

Links Discussed:

  • Dr. Jill Stoddard’s Webpage
  • Dr. Jill Stoddard’s new book Be Mighty: A Woman’s Guide to Liberation from Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Using Mindfulness and Acceptance
  • Connect with Dr. Jill Stoddard on Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

See you again on #WellbeingWednesday

Dr Jill Stoddard

Dr Jill Stoddard is a clinical psychologist and director of The Center for Stress and Anxiety Management, a multisite outpatient clinic offering Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and related issues. She is an award-winning teacher, peer-reviewed ACT trainer, co-host of the Psychologists Off the Clock podcast, and blogger for Psychology Today. Dr. Stoddard is the co-author of The Big Book of ACT Metaphors: A Practitioner’s Guide to Experiential Exercises and Metaphors in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and author of Be Mighty: A Woman’s Guide to Liberation from Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Using Mindfulness and Acceptance. She received her PhD from Boston University in 2007. When she’s not writing, counseling her fierce clients, speaking, or podcasting, she’s spending time with her amazing family, friends, and dogs, feeling grateful for this mighty life.

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✨ Last day to grab the free book copy! ✨ A little ✨ Last day to grab the free book copy! ✨

A little reminder that today is the final day to download The Somatic Workbook for Nervous System Regulation and Anxiety Management for free via Kindle. It’s being offered as a gift to support building Amazon reviews 💝

A lot of you have shared how the practices are already supporting you, and quite a few psychologists have messaged saying they’re using the exercises with clients too. While the book is written for a general audience, the tools are very clinician-friendly.

Amazon has made the setup a bit confusing, so here’s how to get the free version without Kindle Unlimited:

📚 Go to the book page

📚Tap Kindle

📚You’ll see two options: “Read with Kindle Unlimited” and “Buy for $0.00”

📚Tap “Buy for $0.00” — this gives you the book for free (no subscription needed)

📚 Read it in your browser or the free Kindle app

If the workbook resonates, leaving a quick review on Amazon helps it reach more people who might really need these nervous-system-supportive tools right now. 💛

Link is in my bio or at drkaitlin.com/somaticworkbook.
Here’s what psychologists quietly teach: reflectin Here’s what psychologists quietly teach: reflecting on death can redirect your life.

I often use mortality reflection to help people get clear on their values, priorities, and how they actually want to live. Learning here about the idea of death tracking, colouring in a square each Monday to mark another week lived, and I am intrigued by how it can gently nudge us toward alignment (weekly!)

A few important notes: this may not be for everyone. If it triggers anxiety, rumination, or avoidance, trust yourself and skip it. Mortality awareness is a tool, not a punishment, and individual differences matter.

If it does support you, it can act like a compass, helping you focus on values, relationships, lifestyle habits such as movement, sleep, nourishing food, and social connection, and the kind of life you actually want to be living. Pair it with a reflection like, “If someone had to write my obituary today, what would I want it to say?” and suddenly Mondays feel like a check-in with purpose, not just a day.

Big thanks to @mamamiaaus @mamamiaoutloud  and @wainwrightholly for bringing this fascinating practice to my attention. Mondays may never be the same!

Save this for a day you need clarity 🧭 
Share it with someone who might be looking for their purpose this week 🤗
“Free therapy? Not quite. But something that might “Free therapy? Not quite. But something that might support your nervous system in a really beautiful way…” 💛✨

The Somatic Workbook is FREE on Kindle from Nov 14–18 - so go ahead and grab it (I did too!) at drkaitlin.com/somaticworkbook.

This isn’t just about getting a book into more hands. It’s about something bigger.
When even one of us feels a little more regulated, grounded, and connected, the ripple effects touch our families, our workplaces, our friendships and our whole community.

Sharing nervous system tools is one of the most accessible, compassionate things we can do for collective wellbeing. And right now, with everything happening in the world, small acts of care genuinely matter.

If you download your free copy and it resonates, leaving an Amazon review helps the book reach people who might really need it. And please feel free to share the link with friends, clients, or anyone who could benefit from a gentle, research-backed mind–body resource.

A small action. A big ripple.
Thank you for being part of this community. 💛

Download free via Amazon or head to drkaitlin.com/somaticworkbook
So… are you “in therapy because of your almond mum So… are you “in therapy because of your almond mum”?
I say that jokingly, because therapy is supportive for so many reasons. It can also be the place where we finally understand where certain unhelpful patterns began.

Growing up around constant diet talk, rigidity, or fear-based messaging about food and bodies does more than shape habits. It creates patterns in the nervous system.

Patterns of tightening.

Patterns of overriding hunger or pleasure.

Patterns of confusing control with safety.

*the defectiveness schema (typo in captions says ‘effectiveness’ whoops! 😅)

Over time these patterns blunt our interoception. We lose touch with hunger, fullness, emotion and intuition. When the body gets policed, the body gets quiet. When cues are judged, cues retreat.

And this work is not about blaming ourselves or our mums. Many of us inherited generations of anxiety about worth, safety and appearance. Understanding that helps us step into something new with compassion.

Healing asks us to soften rigidity, rebuild interoception, and let intuition speak again. It asks us to offer care to the parts of us that coped the only way they knew how.

Therapy, nervous system work and psychological skills help us understand these patterns and gently rewire them. Not because we are broken, but because we are finally safe enough to listen inward again.

Your cues are not gone. They are waiting to be trusted.

Follow for more psychological and somatic strategies to reconnect with your body and create healthier patterns. 

And, send this to a friend or sibling who will get the mum dynamic…😳
Your phone is a pokie machine in your pocket. Eve Your phone is a pokie machine in your pocket.

Every time you scroll or check for a message, you’re pulling the lever — chasing that next unpredictable reward.

Maybe there’s:
💬 A message from a friend
❤️ A like or comment
😂 A funny video
😶 Or… nothing

That “maybe” is what keeps you hooked.
This is called a variable reward schedule, the same psychological setup used in gambling addiction.
Your brain releases more dopamine when it doesn’t know if a reward is coming. So, it keeps checking “just in case.”

Over time, this constant anticipation trains your nervous system to stay on alert.
We start to feel:
😵‍💫 Restless without our phone
😔 Flat or distracted after scrolling
💬 Overstimulated but under-connected

It’s not weak willpower, it’s how the brain’s reward system adapts to the environment it’s in.

Out of sight, out of mind:
It takes a lot of mental energy to not reach for your phone when it’s right there. Every act of resistance drains the same willpower you need for focus and creativity. Instead of relying on motivation, change the setup: keep your phone in another room when you work, eat, or sleep. The harder it is to reach, the easier it is to resist.

Use a Brick or lock box:
If “out of sight” isn’t realistic, use structure over self-discipline. Tools like The Brick or time-lock boxes limit access so you’re not negotiating with yourself all day. You can still reach your phone — but the small barrier protects your focus.

Turn off notifications or use grayscale:
Fewer pings and flashes mean fewer dopamine spikes. Simplify what your nervous system has to manage.

Pause before you scroll:
Notice the urge — that flicker of restlessness or boredom — and take one slow breath. Often your body’s asking for rest or connection, not stimulation.

Curate consciously:
Follow accounts that calm and inspire. Mute the ones that drain you.

You don’t need to quit your phone, just learn to use it without being used by it.

Share this with a friend who’d love to feel more focused (and less frazzled).
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Dr. Kaitlin pays her respects to the Kaurna peoples as the Traditional Owner’s of the land on which she works and lives. Dr Kaitlin acknowledges that the Kaurna people have social, spiritual and historical connections to this land and their connections are as strong today as they have always been. She would like to extend this acknowledgment out to the Traditional Owners of the land on which you are based, and to acknowledge the Ktunaxa and Kinbasket Peoples of what is now called Canada, as she was born and gratefully raised on their traditional unceded territory.

Mandala Artwork by Scarlet Barnett
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