This week, Shannon chats with Erika Straub, who is an anxiety & trauma coach for women. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Psychology, earned a MA in Depth Psychology, holds 500+ hours of yoga teacher training credentials and is a nationally certified personal trainer. As a coach, Erika operates through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, Somatic Experiencing, and Jungian Depth Psychology. Her deep knowledge in psyche and soma are the genesis for her coaching programs. Erika specializes in resolution and repair from symptoms of complex trauma, childhood trauma, sexual trauma, and post-traumatic stress. Topics discussed: What is trauma? How do you know if what you're feeling and experiencing is the result of a trauma (whether complex or acute)? How traumas show up in our bodies (symptoms) What fight, flight, or freeze is and what it all means for us How simple routine tasks like going to the grocery store made Shannon become paralyzed with fear Erika and Shannon's experiences with panic attacks What panic attacks are, what they feel like, and how they can actually change your brain and your life Why Erika and Shannon are both grateful for their traumas Shannon's experience with claustrophobia What "dissociation" is. What it feels like and why Shannon says it's the worst feeling she's ever felt Why dissociation happens after trauma How our brains can't distinguish between "having" an actual experience and just simply "thinking" about an experience. Symptoms arise from thought alone. How Erika and Shannon both managed their panic attacks (and it's not by "just trying to relax and calm down") How shame plays a role in trauma How our brains physically change from trauma, and why self talk alone isn't enough Shannon's traumas throughout her life that led to a constant feeling of "what's coming next" The vagus nerve and why it's important How the mind and body are connected The difference between general anxiety and panic attacks Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/_anxiousfemale/ https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/ https://www.anxiousfemale.com/

This week, Shannon chats with Tamara Leszner-Rovet, who is a registered psychotherapist (RP), certified music therapist (MTA), and registered music teacher (RMT) with over 20 years experience working with individuals with neurological disorders and developmental delays. She holds an Associateship of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT), an Honours Bachelor of Music Therapy Degree from the University of Windsor (BMT), and has received additional training as a Neurologic Music Therapist (NMT). Since 2007, she has been the owner and director of Tamara’s Piano Studio and Music Therapy Services (TPSMTS), a private practice specializing in providing music therapy services and adapted music lessons to children and adolescents. She believes strongly in presuming competence and the right to high quality music lessons and music therapy services, regardless of an individual’s age or ability. In addition to running a full time private practice, she is also a mom to an incredible 8 year old with his own unique challenges! Topics discussed: Tamara's health struggles with Hashimotos and the misdiagnosis she dealt with for 10 years (on and off meds that she didn't actually need) Shannon's experience living with a thyroid condition Why it's important to see our own lab results and advocate for our own health - what's "normal" on a lab, doesn't mean its normal for you What to do if you're having unusual symptoms and can't find an answer How your thyroid can affect temperature regulation issues, mood, fatigue, weight gain/loss, brain fog, pain, infertility, miscarriages, etc... What histamine intolerance is - and how to know if you have it Tamara's experience with a gifted son with autism and ADHD Tamara's music therapy background - how she helps kids thrive through music (using music as a catalyst to achieve therapeutic goals, rather than musical goals) Why what works for one person may not work for another How music can change your mood - for better or worse Links mentioned in this episode: Email: [email protected] Website: www.tpsmts.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TPSMTS Twitter: @TPSMTS Instagram: @tpsmtstor

This week, Shannon chats with Barbie Liss who is a Maternal Empowerment Coach, helping Women heal Mother Wounds and reclaim their Goddess Energy! As Mom to 3 grown children, Barbie has travelled the path of Motherhood, from typical to not at all typical experiences. Her life altering experience, and subsequent healing journey as a Mom of a rape survivor, and ultimate Restorative Justice outcome, led to her current path. She has been featured in Forbes, on Sirius XM, the Great Canadian Women, Empowerography Podcast, and more. Through a deep dive virtual Coaching Program, Barbie nurtures her clients through unlearning generational wounds and rewriting limiting core belief. She is an UNteacher of damaging messages and a perspective shape shifter. As a Maternal Empowerment Coach, Barbie helps heal old wounds that bleed into new moments, so that You can step fully into Your Goddess Energy! Topics discussed: Finding your true self through ancestral wound healing Barbie's story as a mom of a rape survivor, and her personal healing journey What restoritive justice is, and why Barbie and her daughter chose a restoritive justice outcome How generational patterns are passed down and how that affects us as individuals How we can all choose a resoritive justice approach in our daily encounters Shannon talks about her parents divorce and how she felt/feels today Teachable moments vs. punishable moments The lesson Shannon teaches her kids about empathy and understanding Unlearning patterns and messaging that doesn't serve us Why Shannon feels fortunate that she experienced trauma in her life How to not let your circumstances control your emotions and actions Why it's ok to be ok, even when we're not entirely ok How the word "and" can positively impact your mindset How Barbie healed herself in order to help her daughter heal How generational messaging and language is passed down and why it doesn't work in a new generation (ex. using "because I said so as an answer to our kids" or "just do what the doctor says", etc...) Barbie's tips for de-gunking your life today Links mentioned in this episode: www.barbieliss.com https://www.instagram.com/_barbieliss/ https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/

This week, Shannon chats with Sarah Deitcher who is a reiki and energy practitioner. After her first certification in Reiki 15 years ago, she fell in love with this healing modality and quickly moved to the next level and continued to practice daily. She uses energy work, essential oils, and meditation to holistically look at the deeper meanings of everything from self love and dis-ease in the body, to relationships and soul purpose. Topics discussed: What energy work is, who can benefit from doing energy work, and what positive effects you might experience Shannon’s personal experience with energy healing, the effects she felt and how she went from being super skeptical to a full believer of energy healing What you need to know if you’re skeptical about energy work, or you’re considering doing some energy work on your own or with a practitioner How are are all made up of energy and what that means for us Why and how we can feel other people’s energies when we interact with them - ex. they’re negative energy can make us feel bad, they’re positive energy can make us feel better, etc. How energy is at work when you randomly think of someone and the next day you bump into them or they call you out of the blue (what does this mean?) The odd experience that Shannon had during her first experience with energy work when she was in nutrition school Why it’s important to get to the root cause of our illnesses (both physical and mental) in order to heal. (Getting to the source of our ailments, rather than focusing and “bandaid-ing” the ailments themselves) How Sarah finally healed from chronic bladder infections, when nothing was working How our thoughts and experiences in life actually embed themselves in our bodies and cause disease/illness/pain/etc… How all of the systems in our bodies are connected to each other, and how we all have an innate ability to heal ourselves Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/essentially_high/ https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/

This week, Shannon chats with Melissa Maker, who is an accidental cleaning expert - because she hates to clean! In 2006 at age 24, she launched Clean My Space, a cleaning service in her hometown of Toronto, Canada, to help out people just like her. In 2011, she decided to create digital content to help drive bookings by launching the Clean My Space YouTube channel. Since then, the channel has amassed over 200 million video views and over 1.7 million subscribers along with a healthy Instagram following and busy website. She also founded a microfiber cleaning tools company in 2016, called Maker's Clean. While Melissa has delivered her expert advice on cleaning products, tools, and DIY substitutes for over ten years, she wasn’t always a cleaning pro and understands that people are looking for practical, time-saving solutions to everyday problems. Topics discussed: How Melissa became an “accidental cleaning expert” with over 200 million views and 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube, as well as owns a cleaning company called “Clean my Space.” How to de-gunk your home/space to help de-gunk your life in a simple, manageable way. Shannon and Melissa’s most disliked household chores, as well as their favourites. Why it’s ok if your home isn’t perfectly neat and clean, especially during a pandemic. The 3 things you need for any cleaning task to save time and energy. Simple cleaning hacks How to not let mess become a source of stress. Finding your MIA’s (most important areas) - what that means and how to do it. Basic cleaning tools that everyone should have in order to keep cleaning simple. What Melissa does to her shower after every use so she never has to actually clean her shower. Melissa’s simple takeaways that you can implement into your cleaning routine today! Links mentioned in this episode: www.cleanmyspace.ca www.cleanmyspace.com https://www.youtube.com/cleanmyspace https://www.facebook.com/cleanmyspace https://www.instagram.com/cleanmyspace https://www.instagram.com/melissamaker www.makersclean.com https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout

This week, Shannon chats with Dr. Angele Close who is a clinical psychologist and a certified mindfulness meditation teacher. Her academic studies included graduating with a Double Honors in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Carleton University in Ottawa and a Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of Western Ontario. She was awarded prestigious National Scholarships when pursuing her doctoral studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto where she received her Ph.D. in 2014. As a practitioner of mindfulness meditation for over a decade, she received her certification as a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher when completing Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield’s Two-Year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program in Scotts Valley, California, in 2019. Topics discussed: Dr. Close's personal story about substance abuse, personal struggle, how she overcame it, and why she does the work she does today How to feel more present, calm, and self-aware What mindfulness means, and the benefits of it How and why to practice mindfuless and meditation How mindfulness and meditation helped Shannon heal from PTSD and a debilitating panic disorder What Shannon says was the hardest part of starting and practicing mindfulness How to pull yourself out of living on autopilot and become calmer, more present, and less overwelmed How to be compassionate with yourself and let go of needing to be "perfect" Acknowledging your own faults for self-improvement and to get to know your true self The simplest way to calm your nervous system in less than one minute, as well as how to practice the STOP technique Building confidence and living life YOUR way Links mentioned in this episode: www.drangeleclose.com https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/ https://www.instagram.com/drangeleclose/

This week, Shannon chats with Adrienne Altman, who is a working mama with two littles, on a mission to educate and empower busy parents, and parents to-be, on how to make smart choices to remove toxins from their everyday products and home without overwhelm. After losing her father to cancer and suffering with fertility issues, she was shocked to learn about the links between specific harmful ingredients in personal care products and overall health - links to fetal development, fertility, cancer, hormonal health and more.Adrienne’s approach is to ditch the overwhelm and empower you take small simple steps in the right direction based on YOUR priorities. Its about making education choices for your family in way that works for YOU and how you live. Topics discussed: How Adrienne discovered clean beauty and why she's so passionate about it Ingredients to avoid in personal care products How what we put on our skin/in our hair etc. can affect every system and organ in our bodies How to take small steps to incorporate clean products into your regime What the term "natural" actually means on a label How to navigate the personal care isles at the store/online Can some of our symptoms be linked to our personal care products? Making your own personal care products at home Adrienne's personal journey with infertility Adrienne's tips for de-gunking your personal care routine Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/adrienne_altman/ https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/

This week, Shannon chats with Laina Halberstadt who is a full time mom, full time house manager, full time wife, and full time business owner. She spends her free time being a mom, managing the house, being a wife, and building a business. She most recently left her eight year career in digital sales to start a career in construction recruiting, in the middle of Covid, with a toddler, and brand new Covid baby. She relies on instagram, Peloton, snacks, cannabis, and self-deprecating humour to guide her through motherhood and its everyday challenges with a smile on her face. She also lives with an invisible illness which she opens up about, and shares how it affects her life as well as her relationships and her children. Topics discussed: Navigating working mom life (especially through covid) How using humour gets Laina through everyday life Setting boundaries and rules for ourselves and our families Lessons learned through motherhood, and how motherhood has changed us Division of labour between spouses, and what our relationships with our husbands are like Judgemental people, and how to nagivate them, as well as let go of shame and stop people pleasing Laina's health struggles and how she deals with living with an invisible illness Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/thesassysarcastic/ https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/

Thank you for tuning in to season 1 of the Get the Gunk Out podcast. In this very short episode, I share my 3 goals/dreams for 2021, as well as a thank you to everyone that has tuned in so far. I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. Sending love, support, and well wishes to everyone who is going through difficult times right now. I hope that everyone finds some peace and small pockets of joy this holiday season and into 2021. Thank you again for being part of this community! We'll see you in the new year! Links mentioned in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/

This week, Shannon chats with Jenna Greenspoon, who is the mom behind Savvy Sassy Media. She aims to create crafted posts for moms of all types on savvysassymoms.com where she shares educational activities, DIY activities, recipes, travel tips and more. She is a busy mom herself juggling many different balls, but loves to get it all done! Topics discussed: What Savvy Sassy Moms is all about Jenna's entrepreneurial journey and working mom life Easy activities to keep kids busy and entertained at home How to navigate the different stages of growth and emotions that kids go through How the pandemic has affected our families in different ways Navigating relationships with our partners, and what the pandemic has done for our relationships Jenna's experience going through divorce and starting a new relationship How Jenna's divorce affected her children and their routines What we've both learned and how we've both healed from dark times in our lives Links mentioned in this episode: http://savvysassymoms.com https://www.instagram.com/savvysassymoms/ https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/