In this special Best of 2024 episode, we revisit the most impactful moments from our inspiring conversations throughout the year. These discussions dive deep into relationships, attachment, community, and healing, offering meaningful insights into how we connect with others and ourselves.

From the complexities of love and partnership to the foundational influence of early experiences, we explore tools for navigating challenges with clarity and intention. Mark Groves and Dr. Stan Tatkin discuss the intricacies of relationships, focusing on the balance of connection and independence that helps them thrive. Dr. Judy Ho explains attachment styles and how our childhood patterns continue to shape our adult behaviors. Kai Cheng Thom and Nkem Ndefo expand on emotional resilience, sharing strategies for navigating conflict and fostering greater compassion for ourselves and others.

We also explore the transformative process of healing. Jessica Fern demystifies ethical non-monogamy, offering practical approaches to reframing love. Dr. Peter Levine delves into the impact of trauma on the nervous system, providing pathways for release and growth. Mastin Kipp and Dr. Nicole LePera share tools for understanding and managing emotional triggers, while Mia Magik reconnects us with ancient practices to strengthen our inner foundations.

Themes of community care and mutual support emerge as Vannessa Bennett and Dené Logan reflect on the importance of fostering connection in mental health. Laura Clery reminds us of the power of humor to lighten life’s burdens, while Michael Galyon encourages us to embrace the present moment with gratitude and openness.

Featured Guests

Mark Groves, Dr. Stan Tatkin, Sabrina Zohar, Jillian Turecki, Dr. Judy Ho, Jessica Fern, Vannessa Bennett and Dené Logan, Dr. Nicole LePera, Mastin Kipp, Dr. Peter Levine, Laura Clery, Mia Magik, Michael Galyon, Kai Cheng Thom, and Nkem Ndefo.

If you feel one of your favorite guests has been missed, don’t worry! Many more of our favorite guests will appear in next week’s specially curated New Year’s episode, where we’ll share transformative tools to help you heal, grow, and graciously embrace 2025.

If you enjoyed this Best of 2024 episode, please subscribe, share it with your fellow Gently Used Humans, and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more listeners on their path toward growth and healing.

Listen to the full episodes:

Mia Magik https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/the-alchemy-of-rage

Michael Galyon https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/finding-calm-in-chaos

Sabrina Zohar https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/breaking-the-cycle-of-toxic-relationships

Mastin Kipp https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/nourishing-your-nervous-system

Dr Arielle Shwartz https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/the-nonlinear-journey-of-healing

Mark Groves https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/liberated-love

Dr Stan Tatkin https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/the-architecture-of-relationships

Jessica Fern https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/erotic-blueprints-and-the-map-to-intimacy

Dr Peter Levine https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/the-birth-of-somatic-trauma-healing

Dr Nicole LePera https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/healing-trauma-and-an-addiction-to-drama

Kai Cheng Thom and Nkem Ndefo https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/dating-your-trauma-tingles

Vennessa Bennett and Dené Logan https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/tap-dancing-for-belonging

Jillian Turecki https://www.drscottlyons.com/podcast/the-safety-of-turbulance

What is sacred rage, you ask? Oh, you know it. It's that fiery, pulsating energy that simmers under the surface when your boundaries are crossed, your voice feels stifled, or injustice has its way again. It’s the eruption waiting for permission to move—to transform from destruction to something breathtakingly beautiful.

If you've ever felt like rage and anger are forbidden emotions—villains in your emotional spectrum—this one's for you. In a world where feelings are labeled “too much” or “not enough,” it’s no wonder we suppress, deny, and numb. But what if we stopped? What if we gave our sacred rage a place to breathe and heal?

In this episode, Dr. Scott Lyons talks with the dynamic and magical Mia Magik, a healer and guide who has become a voice for emotional release—particularly the misunderstood powers of rage. From volcanic eruptions of suppressed feelings to transformational rituals held in castles (yes, castles!), Mia shares how embracing our emotions can create the paradise we all long for.

If you’ve been bottling up your feelings or shamed into toxic positivity, listen up. This is your invitation to feel—fully, fiercely, and safely.

If you’re ready to let go, transform, and reclaim your emotions—this episode will light the fire.

Listen in, Gently Used Humans, and remember—your emotions are not too much. They're magic waiting to be felt.

Topics we Break Down:

• Why rage and anger are sacred—and essential.
• The difference between feeling anger and projecting it outward.
• How suppressed emotions contribute to dis-ease in the body.
• Creating containers for safe emotional expression.
• Toxic positivity and the pitfalls of bypassing real feelings.
• How rage can transform into pleasure, peace, and even paradise.
• Why healing yourself heals the world.

In this powerful episode of The Gently Used Human, Dr. Scott Lyons sits down with Sophie Grégoire Trudeau—advocate, former media host, and author of the insightful new book, Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other. Drawing from her own life’s journey and experiences on the global stage, Sophie shares her wisdom on turning pain into purpose, navigating personal transformation, and how embracing our vulnerability is key to meaningful connection.

Sophie’s candidness about her own struggles and triumphs creates an inspiring, deeply human conversation. Together, she and Scott explore how cultivating self-awareness and emotional resilience can help us show up more authentically in our lives, for ourselves and for others.

This episode will leave you reflecting on your relationship with pain, your patterns of connection, and the steps you can take toward a more empowered and joyful life. Whether you're curious about healing, curious about self-discovery, or just looking for some soulful motivation, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

• The power of transforming pain into connection and advocacy
• Emotional literacy: what it is and why it matters in our personal and collective lives
• Tools for regulating the nervous system and finding calm amidst chaos
• Breaking free from cycles of self-criticism and addiction
• The importance of play and joy in rehumanizing ourselves and others
• Why personal healing is a critical piece of global transformation

In this episode, we sit down with Erica Hornthal, a trailblazer in the world of dance and movement therapy. If you’ve ever felt stuck in life, emotionally overwhelmed, or even disconnected from your own body, this conversation is a must-listen. Erica helps us understand that movement is far more than just exercise – it’s a way to rediscover ourselves, heal from past traumas, and connect more deeply with who we are.

Are you curious about how movement can be a catalyst for change in your life? Erica invites us to look beyond structured exercise and tune into our bodies’ natural rhythms and movements – like the way we sit, walk, or even breathe. She reminds us that movement starts with the smallest, simplest gestures, and that even when we feel trapped in old patterns, moving our bodies can unlock a path to emotional freedom.

Together with Dr. Scott Lyons, Erica shares how our earliest movements – crawling, rolling, and even rocking – shape the way we interact with the world and how we can return to these roots to shift stuck energy. They talk about how reconnecting with play and spontaneity can help us break free of rigid thinking and foster more flexibility in body and mind.

Erica offers practical ways to get started: maybe it’s leaning against a wall and letting go for a moment, exploring playful twirling, or simply noticing how our bodies react when we’re tense. She also introduces her Movement Therapy Deck, a tool designed to make reconnecting with movement accessible and engaging for everyone. Whether through mindful practices, body awareness, or gentle movement prompts, the deck offers guidance for tuning into and transforming your physical experience.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not a dancer,” Erica reassures you: movement is for everyone. Healing through movement isn’t about choreography; it’s about reconnecting with yourself, one step at a time.

So, whether you’re someone who struggles with anxiety, feels stuck in their daily routine, or just wants to reconnect with their playful side, this episode holds something for you. Let’s get moving!

• What is dance and movement therapy, really?
• The disconnect between movement and traditional exercise.
• How movement can heal trauma and reconnect us with our bodies.
• The role of play and spontaneity in finding emotional freedom.
• Practical tools to integrate movement into your daily life.
• Using movement to explore and shift anxiety and tension.
• Rediscovering joy and flow through the body.

In this special Best of November episode, we revisit the most impactful moments from our inspiring conversations with Rainier Wylde, Michelle Boulé, Nicole Sachs, and Michael Galyon. Each of these incredible guests brings unique insights into navigating impermanence, embracing movement as a form of self-expression, understanding the protective nature of pain, and finding meaning in the present moment.

Whether you’re seeking clarity, healing through movement, or learning to savor the fleeting beauty of life, this episode is packed with actionable wisdom and powerful reflections to guide you on your journey.

What You’ll Learn

• Rainier Wylde shares profound insights on embracing impermanence, challenging us to savor life’s transience and recognize the magic in the moments that melt away.
• Michelle Boulé explores the transformative power of movement, revealing how creative expression and physical freedom can reconnect us with choice, agency, and vitality.
• Nicole Sachs unpacks the protective nature of pain, explaining how it serves as a signal from our nervous system and how we can shift from a state of fear to one of empowerment.
• Michael Galyon inspires us to live fully in the “now,” recounting personal stories that illustrate how to embrace life’s fleeting nature and cultivate joy through presence.

Key Takeaways

Savoring Impermanence: Life’s beauty lies in its fleeting nature. Embrace the urgency of now and cherish each moment for what it is.

Freedom in Movement: Rediscover your sense of choice and creativity through intentional movement, whether through dance, small daily gestures, or a mindful connection with your body.

Reframing Pain: Understand pain as a protective mechanism and explore ways to meet it with curiosity, compassion, and actionable strategies for relief and healing.

Living in the Present: Find inspiration in life’s impermanence by connecting deeply to the present moment and focusing on what truly matters.

If you enjoyed this Best of November episode, please subscribe, share it with your fellow Gently Used Humans, and leave us a review! Your support helps us reach more listeners on their path toward growth and healing.

In this episode of The Gently Used Human, we sit down with Michael Galyon, a renowned mindfulness teacher, speaker, and advocate for living authentically. Michael has dedicated his life to guiding individuals toward self-discovery and emotional clarity, focusing on building resilience, embracing vulnerability, and fostering meaningful connections. With a grounded and compassionate approach, he empowers people to navigate life’s complexities with greater ease and self-compassion.

In this conversation, Michael shares his personal journey to mindfulness and how he has transformed moments of chaos into opportunities for growth. He explains what it truly means to find calm amid life’s turbulence and how this transformation can impact our everyday lives. Michael guides listeners in exploring how vulnerability, when embraced, can lead to greater resilience and emotional clarity. He offers practical mindfulness tools and self-compassion practices that can help reduce anxiety, enhance resilience, and bring a sense of balance to our daily routines.

Listeners will gain insights on how to foster deeper connections with themselves and others, even in overwhelming circumstances, and learn strategies to shift from merely surviving to genuinely thriving. Michael emphasizes the importance of nurturing meaningful relationships through empathy and authenticity, providing actionable ways to deepen those bonds.

Topics We Break Down:

• How to foster resilience and emotional clarity in challenging times.
• The transformative power of vulnerability and courage in personal growth.
• Using mindfulness and self-compassion to manage anxiety and find balance.
• Practical techniques to cultivate calm and resilience in daily life.
• Navigating relationships with empathy, authenticity, and deeper connection.

In this transformative episode, Scott Lyons is joined by Nicole Sachs, LCSW, a renowned therapist, author, and expert in mind-body healing. Nicole is the creator of the JournalSpeak method, a groundbreaking practice that helps people uncover and release suppressed emotions that manifest as chronic pain. With over two decades of experience, Nicole has dedicated her career to helping people heal by teaching them to understand the mind-body connection and transform their relationship with pain.

Nicole shares her personal journey with chronic back pain, which began in college and led her down a path of medical consultations, surgeries, and prescriptions. However, it wasn’t until she discovered the work of Dr. John Sarno that she began to understand how emotional repression and nervous system dysregulation were contributing to her pain. Nicole’s own healing experience inspired her to create the JournalSpeak method, and she has since guided thousands of people worldwide in using this powerful tool to find lasting relief.

Throughout the conversation, Scott and Nicole explore how pain is often a signal from the body, protecting us from perceived emotional threats rather than just a physical condition. Nicole offers profound insights on how we can begin to change our relationship with pain by embracing curiosity instead of fear and turning toward the emotions we’ve been suppressing.

She introduces the concept of JournalSpeak as a way to safely release emotional energy, and emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and patience on the healing journey. By addressing the emotional roots of pain, Nicole has helped people reclaim their lives from conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, back pain, and more.

Topics We Break Down:

• How the nervous system creates pain to protect us from perceived emotional threats
• The JournalSpeak method: A powerful tool for releasing suppressed emotions and healing pain
• The mind-body connection and how emotional stimuli can manifest as physical pain
• How pain is often a sign of emotional repression, trauma, or nervous system dysregulation
• The importance of validating pain and recognizing its emotional origins
• Building self-compassion and patience in the process of healing
• Inner child work and its role in uncovering deep emotional wounds
• How curiosity and wonder can help shift fear and open new possibilities for healing
• Real-life success stories from people who have healed chronic pain using JournalSpeak

In this deeply moving episode, Dr Scott is joined by Michelle Boulé, a celebrated dancer, choreographer, teacher, and life coach whose transformative journey has been shaped by the interplay of art, movement, and healing. Michelle’s expansive career has taken her from stages across the world to the realm of personal development, where she now helps others unlock their potential through somatic practices, energy work, and emotional movement. Together, Scott and Michelle reflect on their 22-year-long connection, starting when Scott first witnessed Michelle’s magnetic performance in New York City, sparking a journey of personal and creative evolution for them both.

Their conversation delves into Michelle’s personal story, highlighting how significant injuries during her dance career led her to explore somatic healing and energy work, helping her break free from physical and emotional limitations. She shares how these pivotal moments opened new pathways not only in her dance practice but in her coaching work, guiding others toward healing through the body. Michelle and Scott explore the themes of creativity, vulnerability, and resilience—how embracing challenges, whether through physical injury or personal trauma, can lead to profound transformation and greater self-awareness.

The dialogue flows through the broader topics of creativity and purpose, emphasizing the importance of remaining present and curious in the face of life’s uncertainties. They discuss the role of community and support systems in moments of vulnerability, and how letting go of control can open doors to deeper healing and connection. Michelle’s philosophy that “life is our greatest creation” resonates throughout the conversation, encouraging listeners to tap into their own potential for change, no matter the obstacles.

Topics We Break Down:

• The transformative power of creativity and how it fosters presence and awe
• How trauma and obstacles can serve as doorways to growth, fostering resilience and a renewed sense of purpose
• The importance of improvisation in dance and life, allowing for flexibility in navigating uncertainty
• The role of permission in allowing ourselves to fully express and embody our experiences
• Surrendering control and finding freedom through yielding, both in physical movement and emotional processes
• Building emotional capacity through mindful practices and how that leads to more harmony and flow in life
• The importance of community, support systems, and the vulnerability required to truly be held by others