Understanding Somatic Healing | The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast with Laurie James

Welcome to The Positively Healthy Mom Podcast! I’m your host, Laura Ollinger, teen and parent well-being coach—and today I’m joined by Laurie James, certified somatic practitioner, coach, author of Sandwiched, and host of Confessions of a Freebird podcast.

In this powerful episode, Laurie shares her deeply personal journey through caregiving, divorce, burnout, and healing—and how somatic experiencing helped her reconnect with her body, her emotions, and her true self. We dive into nervous system regulation, stress recovery, and practical somatic tools you can use today to calm your body and shift out of survival mode.

If you’ve ever felt like your body is holding onto more than your mind can process, this conversation is your invitation to slow down and finally listen.

💬 In This Episode:

• What is somatic healing—and how does it work?
• Signs your body may be dysregulated
• Laurie's journey through caregiving, motherhood, and divorce
• How to complete the fight-flight-freeze stress cycle
• Simple nervous system regulation tools you can use anytime
• Why burnout often shows up after everything “seems fine”
• The importance of rest, body awareness, and micro-moments of calm
• Grounding, orienting, and vagus nerve support techniques
• How moms can stop overriding their own needs
• How to teach teens self-regulation without pushing them into shutdown

📘 About Laurie James

Laurie James is a certified somatic practitioner and coach who helps women navigate midlife transitions with more calm, clarity, and connection. After raising four daughters while caregiving for her aging parents and experiencing the unraveling of her marriage, Laurie turned her healing journey into the memoir Sandwiched and now supports others through somatic coaching, nervous system education, and her podcast Confessions of a Freebird.

🔗 Connect with Laurie James

🌐 Website: laurieejames.com [https://www.laurieejames.com/]
📸 Instagram: @laurie.james [  / laurie.james  ]
📘 Facebook: Laurie James [  / laurie.james.79219754  ]

🎧 Podcast: Confessions of a Freebird

📥 Free Guide: Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing (link in show notes)

👩‍💻 Learn more about the podcast:
🌐 positivelyhealthycoaching.com/podcast [https://www.positivelyhealthycoaching...]

📲 Follow us for more:
📘 Facebook: Positively Healthy Coaching
📸 Instagram: @positivelyhealthycoaching

✨ If this episode spoke to you, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share it with a fellow mom who could use more peace, body awareness, and breath today.

#somatichealing #nervoussystemregulation #mindbodyconnection #burnoutrecoveryjourney #momwellbeing #traumainformedparenting #midlifemomsupport #bodyawarenesstools #positivelyhealthymom #positivelyhealthycoaching

00:00 Introduction & Guest Welcome
00:28 Lori's Book & Personal Journey
01:12 Challenges & Parenting Stress
02:08 What prompted the speaker to start their spiritual and therapeutic journey in their mid-forties?
03:20 Introspection & Healing Journey
04:53 Health Crisis & Recovery
06:33 Somatic Experiencing & Therapy
09:00 What are the proactive and reactive strategies for managing stress and regulating the nervous system?
16:53 Vagus Nerve & Stress Regulation
21:29 Stress Response Cycle & Balance
27:29 Healing Trauma Somatically
30:10 Self-awareness in Decision-Making
31:40 Can checking in with the body and intuition help teens navigate social situations and trauma?