As a highly sensitive person, do you avoid conflict? Listen in on this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, as host Elizabeth Cush welcomes executive coach and consultant Michelle Gladieux for conversation about communication challenges, conflict management and emotional intelligence.

“The more interested or passionate we are about a topic, sometimes the more dangerous our words and tone can become.” — Michelle Gladieux

When a work situation doesn’t sit right with you, do you speak up or hold your peace? What about when the boss wants to have a word with you? How do you handle disagreements with your partner or your friends? Do you avoid conflict? Or do you dive in head first and insist that you’re right? Communication doesn’t always come easily, especially if you’re highly sensitive. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a mid-life women’s coach, welcomes Michelle Gladieux, an executive coach, consultant and author of Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome the Four Hidden Challenges, for a discussion of communication skills for the highly sensitive. They talk about the roots of some common responses to conflict and why these approaches are usually self -defeating, and offer practical strategies and examples of how you can say what you need to say when you want to say it.

You can find the resources and show notes for this and every episode here. 

https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/awaken-your-wise-woman-podcast 

How’s your energy? Listen in on this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, as host Elizabeth Cush welcomes energy expert Prune Harris for a talk about energy, community and connecting with hope.

“When we realize that we are continually co-creating our human experience, then, wow, there's a lot that we can do energetically.” — Prune Harris

What kind of energy are you absorbing? What kind of energy are you reflecting back out into the world? Are the choices that you make in each moment aligned with how you want to show up in this world? If not, how can you bring your energy into better balance? In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a mid-life women’s coach, welcomes Prune Harris, author of Your Radiant Soul: Understand Your Energy to Transform Your World, for a discussion of energy and sensitivity. They talk about the challenges of getting grounded and maintaining a balanced energy core; the importance of compassion and community; and the power you have to create positive energy no matter what is happening around you.  

Find the show notes and resources for this and every episode here —

https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/awaken-your-wise-woman-podcast

Happy New Year! In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast host Elizabeth Cush shares her take on New Year’s resolutions and offers listeners a guided meditation.

“How I can bring more of the good and the positive into my life from last year to this year, and what I can either eliminate or set boundaries around in the past year that didn't sit right with me.”

 — Biz Cush

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Set intentions? Or dive into the new year figuring it out as you go? No matter how you approach it, the new year can be a good time to reflect on what’s working for you and what could be different, on what you would like less of and what you would like more of in your life. If you’re thinking along the lines of “less stress” and “better friendships,” you’re in luck. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Biz Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a life coach for highly sensitive women, offers her reflections on the new year and thoughts on moving forward as a highly sensitive person (HSP), building strong friendships in midlife and learning to recognize uncomfortable feelings like anxiety. She includes a guided meditation to use when you are feeling stress so you can work with it instead of against it.

You can find the resources and show notes for this and every episode here.

https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/awaken-your-wise-woman-podcast

Do you put others’ needs before your own? In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth Cush welcomes back April Snow, host of the Sensitive Stories podcast, for a talk about finding your hidden strengths and the gifts of sensitivity.

“Would I change the fact that I'm sensitive? No way.” — April Snow

When your environment sounds too loud, or the fabrics you’re wearing don’t feel right or you’re exhausted from trying to keep everyone around you happy, you might find yourself wishing that you weren’t highly sensitive. But if you weren’t highly sensitive, you might miss so much. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a mid-life women’s coach, welcomes back April Snow, LMFT, the San Francisco-based host of the Sensitive Stories podcast and author of Find Your Strength and other titles. They share about coming to recognize their sensitivity and understanding how it shapes their reactions to the world. They also talk about empathy as a highly sensitive trait and how it can both enrich us drive us to the edge of overwhelm, and they discuss how we can bring it into balance and manage our day in ways that help us experience the richness of our gifts.

You can find the full show notes and resources mentioned in this episode here.

Do you view being highly sensitive as a negative? In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth Cush welcomes back Keri Nola—matriarch of the Receptivity Portal for Healing Entrepreneurs—to talk about her journey from struggling with sensitivity to embracing it as a gift.

“I used to really curse my sensitivity. It felt like such a negative thing, because it made navigating the world so hard.” — Keri Nola

For so many women, being highly sensitive can feel like a burden, like a barrier to navigating the world. It doesn’t have to be. We don’t have to be at odds with our environment or the situations around us. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC,  a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a mid-life women’s life coach, welcomes back Keri Nola, best-selling author, coach, podcaster and founder of the Receptivity Portal for Healing Entrepreneurs for a conversation about being a highly sensitive person (HSP) in a “Go, Go, Go!” world. They reflect on how they experienced their sensitivity as they were growing up and came to recognize it for what it is, they share tips for how they avoid anxiety and overwhelm, and talk about all the positives they now associate with being highly sensitive.

You can find the full show notes for this and every episode here.  https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/awaken-your-wise-woman-podcast

If the thought about taking care of yourself first doesn’t feel right, listen in on this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, as host Elizabeth Cush shares how she learned to live an aligned life that prioritizes her highly sensitive needs without feeling selfish.

“I needed a path to go from here to the rest of my life.” — Biz Cush

Are you living a life that meets your needs? Or are you consumed with meeting everyone else’s? Who—or what—are you living for? And why? Does it serve you? Or is it a way of hiding from something? For highly sensitive women, these questions matter, but it may take us half a lifetime to realize we need to ask them. Then what does it take to find the answers, and what should we do with the information? In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Biz Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., and a life coach for highly sensitive women, shares her own journey of self-discovery. She talks about prioritizing other people and things over her own needs and the impact it had on her health. Finally, she offers insights that she gained and how she was able to shift her priorities to honor her sensitivity, love who she is, and take care of herself while enjoying those around her. 

You can find this and every episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast here.

https://www.elizabethcushcoaching.com/awaken-your-wise-woman-podcast 

If you often feel that being a highly sensitive person is a handicap, listen to this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, as host Elizabeth Cush talks with Brooke Neilsen Yang about embracing your sensitivity and coming home to yourself.

“We tend to have abandoned ourselves by the time we're adults.” — Brooke Neilsen Yang

If you grew up feeling ashamed of your sensitivity, you’re not alone. Chances are that you may have gotten signals from others, and maybe even those closes to you, that you were too sensitive, that you were overreacting, that what you were feeling wasn’t real. Maybe you sensed that you were different, but didn’t recognize that you were a highly sensitive person (HSP)—and that your sensitivity is a great trait. Instead, you may have felt embarrassed and tried to hide who you really were. After a lifetime of hiding, you might even have lost touch with your authentic self. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., and a mid-life women’s life coach, welcomes Brooke Neilsen Yang, a therapist and coach draws on her own healing journey to help others get past the invalidation and misunderstanding they may have experienced, to overcome the shame and to build trust in their sensitive selves.

You can find the show notes for this and every episode here.

Are you a people pleaser? In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth Cush talks about what happened when her people pleasing part was activated on a recent family vacation—and how she managed it.

“I was noticing that my feelings of overwhelm were just building and building. But the reality was, I didn't really have a whole lot to be stressed about.” — Biz Cush

Imagine that you’re on a vacation in a great place surrounded by loved ones. Yet, you feel stressed and unable to enjoy the experience because you’re constantly worrying about whether everyone else is happy. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you’ve been in a similar situation where you couldn’t quite stay in what should be an enjoyable moment. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Biz Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., and a life coach for highly sensitive women, shares insights gained from her own experience. She talks about the overwhelm she felt and how her manager parts contributed to that stress. She explores the roots of her people-pleasing and, most important, she shares what she did to make the shift that enabled her to be fully present for a joyful experience with her family.

You can find the show notes and resources for this and every episode here.

Are highly sensitive people more their environment? In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth Cush talks with Phoenix Gould about the profound impact of narcissistic parents on highly sensitive children and adults.

“The narcissist demands that we pay attention to them. Our way of survival is to be highly attuned to their needs.” — Phoenix Gould

If you’re a highly sensitive person (HSP), did you ever wonder how your childhood affected you and your sensitivities? Why does it seem so much easier to tune into others’ needs rather than your own? Why do emotions feel so overwhelming—if you can feel them at all? How did your parent’s struggles affect you? And, most important, how can you heal those hurts, increase self-awareness and build a loving and trusting relationship with yourself? In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., and a mid-life women’s life coach, welcomes Phoenix Gould, a coach and highly sensitive woman who combines bodywork and radical self-love to help clients experience the unconditional love that they did not receive as children. They talk about growing up as highly sensitive children, they share their healing journeys, and they offer hope and inspiration that you, too, can feel your emotions without overwhelm and experience the core of who you truly are.

You can find all the resources mentioned in this and all episodes podcast, and full show notes here.

Navigating overstimulating environments can be a challenge for highly sensitive people.

In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth Cush talks with Martina Williams about coping strategies to manage your nervous system and walk comfortably in the world.

“If you end up being in a really highly stimulating environment, make sure that you create space for quiet so you can begin to down-regulate.” — Martina Williams

If you’re a highly sensitive person, you may have grown up feeling different. You may have been told that you’re too “too.” You may have had experiences or feelings that it didn’t feel safe to talk about. Maybe that’s still the case. The truth is, you’re not too much, your feelings are legitimate, and there are many other women like you. And here’s some really good news: Highly sensitive people can learn a lot from each other. In this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., and a mid-life women’s life coach, welcomes Martina Williams, a trauma recovery therapist and a coach who works with the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. They talk about what it’s like going through life as a highly sensitive person, share their experiences with using IFS to understand their reactions and increase their self-compassion, and offer tips for how introverts can avoid overwhelm and live with greater ease and comfort.

Find the full show notes and resources for this and every episode here.

Welcome back to the new season of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast! This week, host Elizabeth Cush reflects on her journey, talks about what’s in store for listeners and shares a guided meditation to help you get grounded.

“I am really excited to welcome sensitive women to this sacred support circle.” — Biz Cush

Where does time go? The summer flies by, you celebrate another birthday…. Now here you are, another year older and maybe another year wiser. Have you settled into your wisdom, or do you often feel overwhelmed? In this first episode of the brand-new season of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Biz Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Annapolis, Md., and a life coach for highly sensitive women, talks about what it feels like to walk through mid-life as a highly sensitive woman and provides a preview of this new season’s guests. She also welcomes listeners to join a sacred support circle for sensitive women and offers a guided meditation to help you check in with yourself and reflect.

You can find all the reources and complete show notes for this and every episode here.