When Stress Disconnects You From Yourself with Jennifer Kuhl

In this episode, we explore the power of reconnecting with yourself to combat stress and burnout. 

Jenni, the founder of the School for Mindful Eating and Movement, shares her journey from being a workaholic to finding balance through Yoga Nidra. Discover practical tips, including the 'three Rs' approach (Relaxation, Reconnection, and Reprogramming), to regain control and create a sense of inner peace. 

Ideal for anyone feeling overwhelmed, this conversation provides insights into building resilience through mindfulness, breathwork, and self-awareness. 

Check out the detailed show notes (https://tarakermiet.com/podcast/) and leave your thoughts or questions about today's topic.   

To connect with Jenni:

• Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jeniferk99)
• LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeniferk99/)
• YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@jennikallie)
• Website (https://www.jennikallie.com/)

Need a little more balance and a lot more badass in your life? Check out my 1:1 coaching sessions designed to help you tackle your biggest challenges, manage stress, and create a personalized plan for success. Your first 30-minute session is free! Visit tarakermiet.com to get started. 

Want to turn your dreams into reality? Check out my 7 Days to Crushing Your Goals mini-course! This course is packed with practical lessons and hands-on activities designed to help you define your “why,” leverage your strengths, and take decisive action. By the end, you'll have a clear plan and the tools you need to crush your goals. Visit tarakermiet.com/crushyourgoals to join the course and start making things happen! 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
• 1:03 Meet Jenni: Founder of the School for Mindful Eating and Movement
• 2:52 The Importance of Connection and Presence
• 4:42 Understanding Yoga Nidra
• 9:42 Jenni's Journey from Workaholic to Mindfulness Advocate
• 16:13 Practical Tips for Starting Yoga Nidra
• 22:11 Recognizing Disconnection from Your Body
• 26:38 Understanding the Body's Response to Stress
• 29:09 Practical Steps to Reconnect with Your Body
• 29:43 The Importance of Small Steps and Compassion
• 30:13 Exploring Yoga Nidra and Breath Work
• 31:23 Self-Care Practices and Personal Experiences
• 36:42 The New Era of Compassionate Leadership
• 43:24 Defining a Balanced Badass
• 47:20 Final Thoughts and Connecting with Jenni

Transcript

Tara: [00:00:00] Welcome back everyone to the balanced badass podcast. Today's episode is all about reconnecting with yourself, your body, and your sense of calm, because let's be honest, stress is coming for all of us at some point in our lives, but it doesn't have to take us down.

I'm so excited to welcome today's guest, Jenny, who's the founder of the School for Mindful Eating and Movement. Jenny is a visionary, mindfulness teacher, and self proclaimed travel fairy, who's blending her background in psychology, neuroscience, and yoga. to help move from overwhelm to peace.

Jennifer: the

Tara: story going from what she calls a workaholic on steroids, which I think we can all relate to,

Jennifer: the

Tara: finding balance and purpose through yoga nidra.

Now she's on a mission to help others use mindfulness, movement, and breath work to create an inner sense of. Safety and resilience. So if you've ever felt numb, overwhelmed, or [00:01:00] stuck in cycles of burnout, I'm sure this conversation is going to speak to you. Welcome to the show, Jenny.

Jennifer: Okay, thank you so much for this beautiful introduction. I'm so excited and I have a feeling that this episode will be very potent and cool. Can't wait.

Tara: Yes. So excited to have you just for our listeners. So you kind of know what goes on behind the scenes. Jenny and I tried to record this, like. Um, probably about a month ago and it did not cooperate before the universe was not in our favor, but we are here today and trying to make this technology work. So, um, very excited that you didn't give up on me and I didn't give up on you because I know that this episode is going to be really meaningful.

So, Jenny, I usually start every episode with an icebreaker question and it's the same question that I ask all of my guests and we learned so much. From you and just kind of start off on the right foot with each episode. [00:02:00] And that question is, what is something that you are just loving in your life right now?

Jennifer: Oh, I love this question. So something that I love right now is that I just landed back in Germany a few days ago and finally got to see my friends and family again, because it's been such a long time. I moved abroad three years ago. And now that I see them only once or twice a year, like all these moments, they're so precious to me also because connection, it's one of my core values.

And I tried to have deep connections in my life for a long time, but I couldn't really it most of my life. So now get to have this and aligned people in my life. Yeah, it's so beautiful and so precious. So something I truly love right now.

Tara: I love that. And I hope you get to enjoy and soak up all of that time with your friends and family, because I know how important that is. I know I've not quite lived abroad, but I have lived in other states from family and [00:03:00] would only see, you know, family. Once or twice a year. And I know that it's been so important to me to have my mom now living closer to me to be able to spend more time with her.

So I hope that you're able to cherish that time. And I just love that you're having that time with your friends and family now.

Jennifer: Yeah, thank you so much. I really try to be present and make this time, whereas in the past I was just glued to my laptop and I just took it for granted. So,

Tara: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think we can all relate to that in, in some way or another of kind of just going through the motions and still being kind of not present and not with our loved ones, even though that may be a value of ours, which I think where is where a lot of folks feel that tension and can can feel that friction in their lives.

So Jenny, I want to get to our first question and. You know, for those that may be unfamiliar, I'm sure folks have heard [00:04:00] of yoga, we've seen it all over the place, right? It has become the trendy thing to do in some ways, but I'm curious from your perspective for those that might be unfamiliar with yoga nidra, can you explain what it is and how it has helped you throughout your journey and throughout your life?

Jennifer: Yes, of course. So, as you said, we see yoga, like, everywhere right now. Especially you open Instagram and you see people doing all those fancy poses upside down and performing. Yeah, when I ask people about yoga nidra, this is what pops into their mind and they're like, oh no, I don't want to do this until I explain to them that it's not like this.

You don't have to perform or even move your body at all. It's quite the opposite in yoga nidra. You just lie down on your back. We call it shavasana and like this you allow your body to Relax and really arrive in the present moment, arrive in your body, in the now. [00:05:00] And go into a state that's in between like sleep and like being awake.

And this allows us to kind of tap into or access the subconscious mind and reprogram it. It's like super, super powerful because our subconscious mind It determines more than 90 percent of our, like, actions and reactions and therefore results. And that's what I personally also love about Yoga Nidra, bringing us back to presence, helping us to reprogram.

So I would summarize it as the three Rs, Rs, like relaxation, reconnection, and reprogramming. And the latter also helped me tremendously in my life because in the subconscious, we have all the habits, the beliefs, all the stuff stored. And if you reprogram this with the Yoga Nidra, it changes your life so much, as I say, like change starts within us. So [00:06:00] yeah, it had like huge ripples that it created for me with that and also so many other people.

Tara: Yeah, that I really like the three Rs approach. Um, I think, and I like that you have reconnection in there too, because I can see so much value in that self awareness that rediscovering parts of who you are as part of this. Reprogramming process because it is almost like a rebirth like you're taking pieces of your former self and figuring out what you want to keep what you want to maybe get rid of and.

Morphing that into the new version of you as you move forward. That's, I, I just like how you framed that because I think that that can really speak to a lot of people of what they might need in their burnout, [00:07:00] in stress, and You know, having a practice that he said, literally, all you have to do is lay down and be open to the process.

And I think that that's part of it, too, is you have to be open to experiencing it as well.

Jennifer: Yes, exactly. It's about doing less but being more, and I love that you also added the rebirth to it, because many of us, we think that our personality is just given and determined by our genes, but I think it's kind of the sum of the states that we're in, and with Yoga Nidra you can change your state, and if you like, repeat this, you can kind of instill a new, um, state of being that then becomes, like, slowly, uh, a new personality in a way, like, I think it's super empowering to know that you can also shape your personality, like, who and how you are in this world, you're not a victim, so.

Tara: Yeah. And such a cool way of seeing [00:08:00] that power that you have in the process, because I think, you know. When we're in moments of chronic stress, it's so easy to just, like you said, kind of have that victim mindset, but also to see all of the external forces that are at play, which those need to be addressed as well.

But I think it's so empowering to understand that you still have. Some locus of control and some influence over how you respond to the environment and how you, you know, act and what you do for yourself to recover and to rejuvenate. So that way you can address them systemically as well.

Jennifer: Yeah, 100%. And I think a lot of the time we also feel stressed or overwhelmed because we feel like we don't have this power or this choice and we take it back. It's also super helpful for that, I think.

Tara: Yeah. Yeah. So I'm curious, you just, you described yourself as a [00:09:00] workaholic on steroids and I loved that description. And can you just share with the listeners kind of what that meant to you, what that means to you, and maybe what has led you to the point of Yoga Nidra to where you wanted that transformation, that you were ready for that change to kind of get out of that workaholic on steroids personality or, yeah.

Type of person. Hmm.

Jennifer: people can relate that you do a lot of things. It's, it starts in school and teachers are like, wow, you're so ambitious. You're doing so well. And it gets really enforced by our culture. And then I went to university and people were like, wow, I studied 10 hours in the library for my exam.

Ah, 10, I started to study 12. And we think that the more we do and put in that, the better the output will be. So this was a huge driver for me just to do more and more and more. No, no [00:10:00] matter what my needs were, my body or my nervous system said, no, I wasn't really. connected to that. I was really disconnected and just kept going, kept pushing.

And that's why I say like workaholic on steroids, because I developed such a laser focus or even tunnel vision on my work that other things, they just became secondary in my life. And yeah, I don't know if I would call it an addiction, but it's to the point that you open the laptop in the morning in the bed.

It's like first thing you do when you wake up last thing you do when you fall asleep. yeah, you neglect other things in your life. And what I realized was that it also protection mechanism of my body. It's kind of avoidance. And it's really ironic because I was avoiding myself so,

Tara: Yeah. I can relate.

Jennifer: you too. Yeah, and before I had that, I was a big [00:11:00] emotional eater when I was younger. And then I was like, okay, let's do less of this. Did less emotional eating, but then I started to work more, just like compensate without being aware of it. And that's actually when I stumbled across, um, Yoganidra. It was very funny because I was living in Mykonos.

It's like this really busy and vibrant island. And the mayor had given a calendar that said, have a happy and productive new year. So it was also at first, even more and more reinforced, but then accidentally I stumbled across Yoganidra. And first I thought, damn, so boring. I just lie down for 10 minutes and do nothing.

I hate it. It's so unproductive. I have so many things to do. I can't just lay here and waste my time. But yeah, then I gave it a few more tries and I realized it was just because I was addicted to the stress. It made me feel alive. And that was what my nervous system knew and therefore what made me feel safe.

And that was time, but small steps. With Yoga Nidra, [00:12:00] I could find safety in being still, and find safety in being with myself. So it wasn't about just stopping the workaholism, but developing the safety and connection first, um, so that I would need this protective mechanism of workaholism less and less with time.

Because these things, they're always doing something for us. It's not like I have to get rid of it, because it's just bad to have the purpose or reason why they are there in the first place.

Tara: Yeah, like, you don't want to completely not, you don't want to go to the opposite end of the spectrum, because then it's just a different coping mechanism in that way. But I think it's interesting. There were a few points that you brought up. The first one was how laying there, you're like, this isn't productive.

I have other things I need to do and I hear that so often when I'm talking to folks when we're kind of in that first line of defense against stress or burnout that we talk about rest and how important [00:13:00] you need that rest time and you need to take care of yourself because if you. Don't do that and lay the foundation and kind of get back to equilibrium and that aspect, then you're not going to be able to be your best self and kind of address the root causes of whatever's happening and whatever's causing the stress for you and a lot of pushback that I get and hear from folks is because, well, rest is it.

not doing anything. Like I feel guilty for when I rest or I can't actually rest because my brain is constantly racing. And you know, I can imagine like the older version of me, like laying down to try to do yoga Nidra and being like, this isn't gonna work because I'm running through my to do list. Or I know there's emails I need to respond to or phone calls that I need to respond to.

And I'm really curious, like, since you went through that, [00:14:00] And transitioned and slowly learned to be more in tune with your body and kind of pay attention to the signals. Like, what would you recommend to someone who's kind of going through all that and either has the hesitation to try it because they're already like, Oh, this isn't going to work for me or.

They've tried it once or twice and they couldn't stop their racing mind and so they kind of give up on the practice before it becomes something that's of benefit to them. What recommendations do you have for that, if anything,

Jennifer: Yes, of course. So I think first of all, it's also important to be aware of the state that you're in, because if you have a lot of activation in your body and then you force yourself to lie down, even though like your heart is racing and you're like really shaky, I think you might work against your body in this moment.

And maybe it's a good idea like to go for a fast walk at first or do some of the active yoga, whatever sports, like just move it out of your body and then lie down [00:15:00] afterwards, for example. Um, But yeah, otherwise, if it's not too much, then sometimes it's also just the beliefs in our minds that are holding us back, that, like, this inner voice that is not even ours, it's something we just learned and internalized.

And at first it's very strong, because it tries to keep us in the known, like, to the stressful environment, because

Tara: right?

Jennifer: And it's important to start really small. For example, when I stumbled across some practices, there was someone doing like three hour, whatever practice. And I just couldn't do it.

I was scrolling on my phone and doing other stuff. I was like, okay, I'm not made for this, but then I tried later. And I just did like two or three minutes of breath work at first. And then I practiced this a little bit. And then later I added the bodies again and really did some. Baby steps instead of forcing my nervous system, just go through the full in a way. Um, so it was a little bit outside of the comfort [00:16:00] zone and there was some resistance, it was manageable. It wasn't that you just have to push so hard that you're basically fighting with yourself, um, the whole time. So I think it's important to do small steps and also, yeah, listen to your body and find out like the state that you're in. like in fight or flight?

Tara: Hmm.

Jennifer: in the less activated stage. Mm

Tara: Yeah, I think it's important. I like what you said about getting some of that energy out in whatever way that you can. So that way you can come back and Re center and refocus and. Not feel so jittery or whatever that energy looks like for you and taking it in small steps. I mean, that's with everything in life, right?

Anytime you're kind of going into your stretch zone or, you know, outside of your comfort zone, instead of taking that big, huge leap, which for [00:17:00] most folks is not going to be successful. Like it's either going to scare you out of your mind and you're never going to want to try it again, or

Jennifer: hmm.

Tara: or it's not going to go the way you had planned and so you're not, not going to want to try again.

So, but if you take the smaller steps. It doesn't seem as overwhelming. Like when you said 3 hours, my immediate reaction, I don't know if you saw my face, but I was like, uh, I don't think I could do that. But like 2 to 3 minutes, that sounds more realistic.

Jennifer: Yes. And I think it's also important to be mindful with our ego because we know that small steps thing to do, but then our ego is like, ah, I'm not a beginner anymore. I can do more. So you have to be mindful of that as well,

Tara: right, especially for those of us that are watching. Yeah. Yeah. Workaholics and overachievers and who have been the folks that are like, Oh, you studied 10 hours. I studied 12. Like you said, like I'll one up you or who've collected all the gold stars [00:18:00] in school. Like we're so used to success, which sounds whatever it sounds like, but it's true.

Like many of us are so used to just succeeding and excelling and being able to go above and beyond and have success that I think that's a great point about having your ego. Kind of in the way sometimes. And so you have to like set that aside and recognize that it's okay to be the beginner in the process.

Jennifer: 100 percent and maybe also what you said about success. It's important to pause for a moment and ask yourself, like, whose version of success am I even chasing in the first place? Is it someone else's definition of it? Or is it even mine? This is also something Yoganitra helped me to uncover. Um,

Tara: Yeah.

Jennifer: that's a lot.

Tara: Yeah. I think that's a that's another conversation that I have with folks. A lot is like, how are you? What would have been the past definitions [00:19:00] of success that have driven you to this point? And are those serving you? Are they not how can we kind of shift that mindset and that narrative so it comes down to once again like you were saying the whole purpose of the practice is to really get in touch with your subconscious about what have been kind of the inputs that you've been receiving throughout your life that have gotten you to this point that have helped you shaped you into who you are today but Are they serving you?

Are they not? And what can you do about those is, is really important. And kind of with this. So you have mentioned before, too, that stress can reduce in interoceptive awareness. So really leaving us disconnected. You mentioned this from our bodies. So I can relate to this 100%. Um, I know, For many people that I talk to, when [00:20:00] they're in the middle of burnout, it takes the drastic body, bodily response for them to realize what they're going through.

But the signs were there long before the Drastic responses. Like I know for me, like there were subtle signs within my body that I just, for you to use your words, like I was disconnected. I was not paying attention to what was happening within my body. What my mind was telling me kind of what my heart and my soul were telling me as well.

And for you, like what would you recommend for folks or what are some signs that someone might be out of touch with their body, that they might be in that disconnected state and how can they start to Rebuild that connection and rebuild their relationship with that piece of them. Mm hmm. Mm

Jennifer: Before I do that, just for the people who are not familiar with like interoception to clarify that it's about sensing what's happening in your body. Um, for example, if you're [00:21:00] hungry, if you're thirsty, if you're tired, if you have to go to the bathroom, like all these signals that are going. in your body. So then, for example, signs that you are out of touch with your body could be that you struggle to identify when you're hungry or full. It's also when I realized it wasn't a coincidence that I was also struggling with emotional eating, overeating, all this stuff. Because I had a hard time to tell when I was full, when not, or when I was stressed. I really thought that I would be hungry. When I was tired, I also thought it's hungry. I was hungry for energy and safety, but I was just mistaken it. I was out of touch with my body. but it can also be related to struggles to identify and regulate your emotions because they also living in your body.

And we say also I have butterflies in my stomach, for example,

Tara: hmm.

Jennifer: makes this clear as well. And another thing I noticed and maybe other people as well as to be like super clumsy, I was always running into [00:22:00] objects and hurting myself in seemingly stupid ways. Um, yeah, I wasn't aware. Um, wasn't fully in my body and I think another thing is to have these two extremes between I'm super, super exhausted.

I don't have any energy at all. And then, okay, I have so much energy. I don't know what to do with

Tara: Mm hmm.

Jennifer: but not this like balance or in between and also to be disconnected from your intuition or gut instinct. I would say this is some science, for example. Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

Tara: Yeah, I know for me, the, the eating thing definitely, like I, I kind of noticed that I was like mindlessly eating and not Because it was not because it was like a mealtime and I was feeling the hunger pangs. It was just, I don't know, habit or maybe a self soothing piece. Who knows? And then the sleep was huge for me.

[00:23:00] So it was very much like knowing that I was tired, but. My body wouldn't let me sleep almost like I could not fall asleep like I was staying up later than I normally would even though I know that like I needed the rest mentally like I knew, but physically, it was almost like my body just wouldn't let me because I wasn't talking to my body in the same way essentially.

Jennifer: Mm, yeah, I also, I had a very similar experience, I feel you so

Tara: Yeah,

Jennifer: we blame ourselves so easily, it's like, what's wrong with us, what the heck, I think it's important to have compassion and figure out that there's like a deeper reason going on for all of

Tara: yeah,

Jennifer: actually makes sense, our body's trying to protect us. So,

Tara: yeah, absolutely. It's definitely in that fight or flight stage and it is trying to fight as much as [00:24:00] it can to keep us alive.

Jennifer: yeah, until it can't anymore and then goes just to like freeze to conserve energy and stay there and then we just disconnect from the body, um, and don't feel stuff anymore, just to, yeah, survive. Mm

Tara: Yeah,

Jennifer: hmm.

Tara: interesting that you bringing up like the clumsiness because that's not something that I had really thought of, but it totally makes sense if you're not fully in tune. With what's going on, then, like, I always talk about how rest and all that stuff, like, gets you back to equilibrium, but there's some reality to that, too, in that you do kind of need to get back to equilibrium to be able to function and not bump into walls and not hurt yourself, you know, in silly ways and be clumsy, as you say, so that's really, that's really interesting, and I think, too, like, memory, Plays a role like I will notice that like I walk into a room [00:25:00] like if I'm, if my stress is starting to heighten, I will forget things that I would not normally forget, like walk into a room and then be like, what did I come in here for?

Or having a conversation with someone. Either at work or at home and they asked me about it very short time afterwards and I have like no recollection of the conversation because I'm, I'm so outside of my body that it's almost like I'm going through the motions, but I'm not experiencing it in the moment either.

Jennifer: That also makes sense. I remember from my studies in psychology and neuroscience that also the stress hormones, they impact the brain regions that are linked to memory. So,

Tara: Yeah,

Jennifer: sense what you said.

Tara: yeah. So it really is all about kind of like, just knowing what's going on and being more in tune and finding ways to, to get connected. [00:26:00] And. You know, thinking about maybe what are some practical ways or steps that people can take that will help them to start paying attention and start being in tune.

Are there smaller steps? You know, we talked about yoga nidra, but are there smaller steps? I know you mentioned the body scan. Maybe talk folks through what that could look like that they can really start to implement on a regular basis to stay in tuned with what's going on internally. Mm hmm.

Jennifer: Yes, 100%. But before I do so, I also love that you emphasized small steps again. It's very important because if we were just connected from our body a lot of the time and then we start to reconnect, it can also bring up some suppressed emotions, for example, and it can even feel overwhelming. So it's important to do it to do it with compassion and to also build some inner safety, what I call self discipline. the inner [00:27:00] home. It's also part of Yoga Nidra. But yeah, just to mention and then, um, to answer your question. Yes, the body scan, it's super helpful. We also include this in the Yoga Nidra practice when I just guide people, um, to different points in their body. And this helps. To restore the connection

Tara: Silence.

Jennifer: of yield. And with every repetition, it's getting bigger and bigger until it turns into a highway at some point. And then you have a better connection. But that's also why you're gonna need to, isn't a quick fix. You don't do it one time and then, uh, connection restored.

Uh, so you can do this with repetition, but apart from that, also breath work, it's super helpful. Not necessarily the very active one. think to begin with, it's good to use more gentle types of breathing. Um, I'm a fan of the physiological side. Also the [00:28:00] yoga breath. There are some really like slow and nervous system informed ways that we also really do even before we start the yoga nidra practice.

Just to prepare the nervous system to go out of this survival mode interest. And yeah, except that, I also like to do something, I call it self dates, like to make a date night with myself, where I just make my space really cozy with some candles, some music, whatever calms my nervous system. And then just try to be with myself and maybe also connect with some movement.

It can be like some physical type of yoga or stretching. Just allow your body to relax. move freely, it can also help to, yeah, reconnect. But without pressure, uh, if you dance, you don't have to do something that looks very perfect. It's not about achieving, it's more in a playful, spontaneous way, just allowing, [00:29:00] your body to do what it wants to do, step by step.

Tara: I think that's, I am very glad that you brought up the, it's not about the achieving. It's about the process because once again, I think those of us that are more inclined to have that high achiever

Jennifer: Mm

Tara: overachiever type of personality or approach to work. However, you want to look at it. We're often. Really focused on the output and what the results are going to be rather than like the process of it.

And I think that. Taking the perfectionism out of it taking the results out of it and being okay with just

Jennifer: huh.

Tara: just experiencing the process to I know

Jennifer: huh.

Tara: [00:30:00] for me. Like it's not an easy practice in and of itself.

And I didn't like that it wasn't easy. So I didn't want to do it. You know, that was like how I am. But I have also learned to really appreciate stretching. I am a former dancer, so I really do appreciate stretching. And there's so much in common between Practices of yoga or movement and stretching. And now I just focus on like, how does my body feel while I'm doing the stretching?

How, where do I feel the tension a little bit more compared to like yesterday or, and you know, why does that tension exist more today? Because that also has helped me to pay attention to how I'm feeling throughout the day and to know what I need. Throughout the day as well, so I think that I have focused less on like stretching to be able to like bend over and touch my toes to stretching so that I can feel good [00:31:00] and

Jennifer: Thank you.

Tara: it helps me re center.

It helps me kind of catch my breath essentially and like, like you said, get into that rest and digest mode versus the fight or flight that I'm, that we can feel on a pretty consistent basis in society today.

Jennifer: Yeah, 100 percent there's a lot of what you added to be also curious and do it to feel good because it shouldn't just turn to another to do on your list or now I have to do this like 30 minute yoga, whatever, and then you might feel stressed and pressured by it. So I think it's good to do something that you actually enjoy and if you do something you don't like it just try something else and yeah, work with not against your body. That's also important.

Tara: Yeah, and I liked what you said, too, about having a date with yourself and really being in tune to what you need and what self care looks like for you in that moment. Like, it doesn't have to be getting your nails done and doing all these things that we see in popular culture about people. You [00:32:00] know, self care and treating yourself, but it's really about having that time to be in tune with who you are, just like if you were in a relationship with someone else and you spend a quality date night, getting to know them and how their day was and what their, you know, hopes and dreams are.

We should be doing the same with ourselves and kind of staying in touch and having that relationship with ourselves in a similar fashion.

Jennifer: Yeah, true. 100%. That's super important. And I think we can also make ourselves some small gifts here and there, let's say, for example, earlier today, body was also so tense from sitting on the desk and traveling in the plane. So I just gifted myself a Thai massage after a very long time. And this also helps to connect to the body, I think, at the same time.

That's it. It doesn't mean that you always have to, like, move or do something. You can also this, like, massage or touch. It's also a good way if it feels safe. It's individually, as well. Some people, they hate this. So, it's [00:33:00] about what do I truly. Neat, like you touched upon earlier.

Tara: Yeah, and a good point, too, about different situations or seasons in your life and what may work for you in one moment may not be what's going to serve you in this moment. And that's okay. Like, recognizing that is. It's part of life and, but it's also important to have kind of a menu of options that you can choose from.

So that way you can see what's going to serve you in that moment and what you need.

Jennifer: Yeah,

Tara: I love that.

Jennifer: Sure.

Tara: So another thing too is you talked about kind of a new era of leadership, which I love. And that new era of leadership is grounded in compassion and co regulation. So I'm thinking about leaders specifically.

How can they use mindfulness tools, like what we've talked about, to better manage their own stress? And also, you've mentioned this before, like, create that ripple effect of calm and resilience within their [00:34:00] team. What can this new era of leadership really look like if people put it into practice?

Jennifer: It's a powerful question and first I dive into co regulation again, um, briefly because I noticed that many people are not familiar with this term as well. Um, and it basically means that our nervous system They are constantly interacting with each other on a subconscious level. For example, if I'm around someone who's super, super stressed and might communicate it subconsciously, like mimics and gesture and tone of voice, if we're speaking fast or slowly, then my nervous system will pick up on it.

And I might also feel more stressed. For example, if I some time with someone who's like calm and regulated, we can co regulate, like this other person can help me regulate. My own nervous system in this moment. And I think this is very potent for leadership because if leaders can manage to become this source of like safety and trust and. [00:35:00] working for them, they will feel it. This is like super, super powerful. And it will have

Tara: Mm hmm.

Jennifer: like I said. And yeah, how can they do it? I think on the one hand, it's important for them be aware of the state that they are in. Like it all starts with awareness. And for example, if they realize, okay, I'm super, super dysregulated, for example, I'm survival modified. Of light they can notice and then maybe bring themselves back to regulation, be it some like breath work or going for work. It really depends on the resources and options they have in this moment. Um, for example, of course, doesn't mean they have to be perfect, but this can be helpful. But also they notice then in the people who are working for them. they are, like, really stressed and burned out and maybe not performing well, but

Tara: [00:36:00] Okay.

Jennifer: also help them. I don't mean becoming their therapist, of course, but they can take a few breaths together, um, or do a quick body scan, or have like a small toolbox to help others regulate. And have the space and also normalize that you don't always have to perform, you don't have to be perfect and always in this regulated state, but that there's also some space to just Be human and that this is okay as well. And if they also honest, um, about it and share as well, I think it also help, um, to create, this safety and trust with other people is to have this awareness yeah, room for humanity there.

Tara: Yeah, uh, room for humanity. I think that's, I just think of how powerful this could be if more and [00:37:00] more leaders took on this kind of approach with their teams and this type of awareness, not just self, but like you said, within their teams and recognizing how that strong emotion is rippling out into their teams, whether that's stemming from them or one of their team members, either way, It's going to have that energy transfer like you mentioned there is there.

It's contagious essentially like you feel it. You absorb it. We are sponges. And so we are more and more likely to absorb what we're around. And so the more we can focus on a culture of care and really having people at the center, the more compassionate. And thoughtful and caring kind of leadership we can have then as folks experience these tough times, like you said, it's creating a space of safety to be able to acknowledge it, work through it [00:38:00] and move forward with a place of genuine care for for the well being of others versus just produce, produce, produce and give me that output that you need.

I just think that. That could be revolutionary for society and what work looks like for many of us. If that was more of a, an approach that folks took.

Jennifer: Yeah, 100%. And I think it will also be good for the company because I realized from my own experience, if I just feel like an object and I just have to deliver, I don't have a lot of motivation. I do what's necessary, but the rest, no. But if I feel like really seen and heard, like caring about me. I have so much motivation.

I might even go an extra mile, you know, cause I also like the company. I feel like they care about me. Like you said, culture of care. And on the other hand, if I'm also more regulated, um, we're also more productive, efficient, we have more creativity. So that's a good, you know, for the [00:39:00] leaders for the company as well.

Tara: Oh yeah. I always, when I'm working with companies or talking with companies, I'm always kind of emphasizing the fact that having a people centered approach does not mean you're not putting like your profits and your productivity first, it actually means that you are, because your people drive. The success of your organization and so if you focus on your people while also focusing on the product or whatever it is that you're producing as a company you're going to be the most successful because you're you have the two factors at play that you need to you have strategy and you have the compassionate approach to ensuring that the people.

There are doing the work that they want to be doing and are doing it in the way that they want to be working. So, yeah, I think that was a great point about how it's a benefit to the people, but it's also a benefit to the organization and the company too. So [00:40:00] all around really no excuse to not want to do it in my opinion, you know,

Jennifer: Yeah,

Tara: but yeah.

Jennifer: I agree. It would be beautiful to see more of that in the future for sure. I really hope that.

Tara: It would. Well, um, Jenny, I know we're getting to our time and so I want to wrap up with my final question for you that I also ask every guest on the podcast and that is so, you know, the podcast is the balance badass podcast. So we're all about balance living and badass results. And so I'm curious, just from your perspective, like, how do you define being a balanced badass in your own life?

Jennifer: Oh, I love this question. So for me, it means, for example, right now that I set myself really high goals sometimes, for example, this year, I want to start doing yoga and we can also turn this into an offline business and there's so many things to do [00:41:00] and it demands a lot of me and I'm really like. Motivated and super, super excited, but on the other hand, also remind myself to come back home to my like in a home or comfort zone in between. So it's not just like sprinting or chasing shiny objects, but to really do something that excites you go out of your comfort zone, really go after what you want. Like claim it because no one will just give it to you, but also, yeah, return to your inner home. So you won't just do it and then burn out again, you know, because life is a marathon. Not a sprint. I think we all get that. So it's this kind of balance. I would say that, I mean, I'm not perfect, but I think it's all about progress rather than perfection. So, yeah.

Tara: Absolutely. Yeah, no, I, I like that. And I appreciate that approach of like, it's okay to have those super ambitious goals, but it's also okay to [00:42:00] recognize. when you just need to pump the brakes a little bit and take that rest and even revisit those goals to see if they're still in line with your values and with your strengths and with what you want to accomplish coming, you know, into the future.

So I think that that's, that's a great definition and a really good. Way to just wrap up kind of what we were talking about and thinking about what coming back to yourself to recognizing and being connected with who you are internally as well as externally and thinking about how that ripples out into the things that you do, the goals that you set, the people that you work with, all of that stuff.

I think that that was a really cool, cool definition. So thank you so much for sharing that.

Jennifer: Yeah, thank you so much for listening. And what I also like about it, just one quick thing to add that

Tara: Yeah.

Jennifer: don't have goals anymore in a way that, okay, for example, in one year I have to hit this amount of money. Um, for example, I rather focus on what I [00:43:00] want to like give the direction I want to, um, go like what I value, but I try to detach a little bit from like time frames and you know, all this. Rigidity, because I think it can also stress you out at something and doing more with your GANitra. Um, work with like intentions and focus on what you can control about that and just on the outcome. Like, yeah, you mentioned earlier, I think it's a good reminder. People enjoy the process and don't just look for the outcome.

Tara: Yeah, yeah, I think I've, I've been doing very much the same of trying to think about what, what do I want to experience? How do I want to feel throughout the year and setting my goals around that versus when I get to the end of the year, like, what would I have checked off the to do list? Like that

Jennifer: hmm.

Tara: drive me as much anymore because I'm very much focused on the process and really trying to step away from the outcome all the time.

Although, I mean, it's important to have something to achieve and to work towards, and [00:44:00] in certain situations, it's definitely applicable, but I think it's also, you have to be aware of kind of how you balance that yourself.

Jennifer: Balanced badass. Yes.

Tara: That's right, exactly. Well, Jenny, thank you so much for sharing your story, just for sharing your expertise, and, you know, some tools with us, and how we can really, Apply this to the, to our lives and to the work that we're doing.

I really do appreciate you taking the time and finally tech worked with us and we made it happen. So that's awesome. Um, but before we go, can you let listeners know just the best way to connect with you and just learn more about the work that you're doing and any opportunities that you might have for them to connect with you through your work.

Jennifer: Of course, I'd love to. So, because we already touched upon the importance of, you know, working with yourself, connecting with your body, learning more about your nervous system. It's also something that I [00:45:00] put together, like an online program, and it's called Inner Home Renovation. That's how I like to put it.

It's like renovating our inner home that we have.

Tara: That's so cute.

Jennifer: Yeah. I really love it. And yeah, it combines this and the nervous system and trauma in a fun way, basically putting together what I learned from my studies in yoga, but also psychology and neuroscience. It's very holistic. And yeah, it's a one on one sessions.

But if you want to more, um, Tara, I think she will link you my website in the description, but. You're also always welcome, of course, to learn more for free or just connect. I always love connecting with different people from all over the world. So, you can also find me on LinkedIn, on YouTube, or on Instagram.

And on YouTube, I also share many free yoga nidra practices. For example, if you stumble across this for the first time right now, You can also just check it out there if you feel called to, it's just an invitation and then, yeah, see if it resonates [00:46:00] or not. yeah, it's all linked in the description. I would love to see you there, hear from you, if you feel the call.

If not, I hope you took a lot away from, yeah, the conversation that we just had. I think it was really, yeah, beautiful. I enjoyed it a

Tara: Mm hmm. Yeah, I did, too. And, you know, folks, if you enjoyed this episode, you could do us a favor and share it with someone who might need that little extra piece and balance in their life or may need to reconnect and Um, do some inner home renovation, as Jenny said. And, um, don't forget to subscribe so that you don't miss any future episodes that are always filled with tools, stories, and insights to help you live balanced and bad ass take some time today to reconnect with yourself, friend.

And I'll see you in the next episode.