I was honoured to be a guest on the Seen & Heard podcast, in conversation with Chris Braitch, for an episode exploring how our bodies carry lived experience, and what becomes possible when we begin to listen.
We spoke about my early life growing up in Belfast at the beginning of the Troubles, the impact of living in a divided society, and how experiences of feeling unsafe can shape our nervous system, sense of belonging, and ways of coping, often long into adulthood. Together, we explored how patterns such as people-pleasing, silence, chronic stress and burnout can be understood not as personal failings, but as intelligent survival responses.
A central theme of the conversation is the idea that symptoms are not signs of being broken. Instead, they can be meaningful signals pointing towards unmet needs, unprocessed experiences, or parts of ourselves asking to be heard.
I also introduced the lens of Meta Consciousness – an awareness of our interconnectedness – and how the body can hold experience in very real, often metaphorical ways. We touched on my own journey through workplace stress, advocacy, reclaiming agency, and the foundations of W·I·L·D® Wellbeing: Wonder, Intuition, Loving ourselves and learning to Dance with life.
This episode is for anyone navigating burnout, overwhelm, or a quiet sense of their body seeking to communicate something important.
🎬 You can watch the episode here:
From Burnout to Body Wisdom: How Trauma Lives in the Body (and How to Heal)