Needy and Normal Podcast

EP 40 Trauma and healing with Todd Brossart, LCSW, BCD

Ever been curious about therapy? What about somatic trauma work or psychedelics? How about trauma basics? Do you have unresolved trauma? How do you begin to heal? Are you on a healing path, currently? Are you simply curious about the work that Todd Brossart does in Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP)? This episode is for you.
Todd first allows us into his own personal trauma, showing us he is first human, like you and me. Mental health professional or not, we all "have the right to own our experiences."
Todd's trauma shaped him as a person and also in his work, by allowing him a unique perspective. It then opened him up to methods in which he needed, to access a more honest and deeper way to healing, for himself and for the people he works with today.
In this episode, Todd addresses things like:
What PSIP can do
Procrastination
Locked or hidden memories
Relationships
Facing the unknown or uncertain
How the body is the "keeper of time"
Your own trauma
How true growth is measured, and
The ultimate privilege a human can have and lean on during times of healing
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Todd Brossart, LCSW, BCD, graduated with his Master's Degree in Social Work from the University of Denver. His post-Master's clinical experience currently spans over 16 years, with over a decade of psychotherapy experience at the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient mental health clinic. Currently, Todd has a private psychotherapy practice in Denver, CO, where he lives with his wife and kiddos.
Learn more about Todd by visiting somacology.com or find him on IG @somacology.
Thanks for listening to Needy and Normal. Please don't forget to rate and review the podcast, and share this episode with a friend!
Hi, I am Ashley. I am a certified professional coach who specializes in life transitions, mindset and self-care. Check out www.abllifecoaching.com to schedule a complimentary discovery session. And follow me on IG @abllifecoaching.
 

EP 39 Perfection vs consistency and believing you are enough

Are you an "all or nothing" type? Do you identify as a perfectionist? Are your options: full throttle until burnout or fail? What if there was another way? This episode is a mindset challenge just for you.
We explore how perfectionism is not the same as consistency, and the difference between positive and negative motivation.
You are enough, you woke up worthy. Enjoy this episode, and consider a better, more balanced way to take care of yourself and your goals.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thanks for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Before you go, please leave a review! And thanks for sharing this episode or another one you've enjoyed!
Hi, I am Ashley. I am a certified professional coach who specializes in life transitions, mindset and self-care. If you or someone you know is curious about coaching, visit www.abllifecoaching.com and get to know me on IG @abllifecoaching.

EP 38 How to have a difficult conversation

It's overwhelming and scary to have a heavy conversation. Whether it's with your partner about something they said, a boss who needs to know you are giving your notice, or a family member who's been disrespecting your boundaries, your need to say something MATTERS!
These five steps will help ease your nerves, hold your boundaries, say what you need to say AND show and receive respect in the process. This also helps you maintain your self-worth, which you deserve.
I know it takes some bravery to face anything difficult. Having a hard conversation is especially tricky, but this episode will help!
Let me know how these steps work for you!
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thanks for listening. Please don't forget to rate and review the podcast, and share this episode with a friend!
Hi, I am Ashley. I am a certified professional coach who specializes in life transitions, mindset and self-care. Check out www.abllifecoaching.com to schedule a complimentary discovery session. And follow me on IG @abllifecoaching.

EP 37 How to say NOPE more, the people pleaser episode!

Are you constantly overachieving for others? Are you the YES person, the go-to, the one everyone knows will get-er-done? Are you also scared to admit that you’re also OVER IT, and have no idea how to relieve yourself of this overwhelm and guilt? What a loop you’re in my dear listener. This episode is for you, with love.
I’ll walk you through relatable circumstances we all know so well as people pleasers, “doers”, as I like to say. Even the people we rely on the most, need to NOT be relied on sometimes! Here enters your right to “NOPE”.
Listen to the end where we get real on where the natural progression of people pleasing began, how it’s developed over time, and what it’s done to your self-worth. I share valuable words on perfection vs excellence, from Newal Mustafa aka @thebraincoach.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Share this episode with a friend, follow the show, and please leave me a review! I am so happy you are here!
Coming in 2025, the Needy and Normal Community, where we can continue these conversations and find more of the support we all need.
Hi, I am Ashley Levering, Certified Professional Coach, expert in change management while tending to your most essential needs. To learn more about working together, explore my website www.abllifecoaching.com and book a FREE initial consult.
Take care!

EP 36 Weight loss myths and tips with expert dietician, Lindsey Ray

Weight loss is a HOT topic and this conversation will open your mind and shift your perspective, giving you a new look into the weight loss and diet world. Expert dietician with years of experience, Lindsey Ray, is just the voice we need to hear!
Listen to her take on “trendy” diets, why weight loss feels hard to tackle, and how misled we are about how our metabolism actually works!
Lindsey shares how to eat out while on a weight loss journey, her take the gut microbiome, and of course some heartwarming success stories about her past clients.
Enjoy this incredibly real and useful episode packed with info, tips, encouragement, and HOW to get started on your own journey to eating healthier.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thanks for listening! Please share the Needy and Normal Podcast with a friend, and leave me a review before you go. Means so much!
I am a life transition coach. I am an expert in change management while taking care of your most essential needs. For information about coaching together, visit www.abllifecoaching.com. Grab my free resource, book your Life Assessment Session, or explore the coaching packages I offer. This may be just what you need, my friend. Also find me on IG @abllifecoaching.
Lindsey Ray, Registered Dietitian & Founder of Eat Pray Lift Nutrition Coaching
Lindsey founded Eat Pray Lift Nutrition Coaching after spending over a decade managing weight loss programs for corporate wellness & health insurance companies. She loved helping thousands of people lose weight but felt like her wings were clipped by corporate policies that limited weight loss counseling to generic "check a box" services. She left the corporate world to pursue her passionate belief that every woman deserved a nutrition plan as unique as they are. Her private practice specializes in a hormone balancing, gut health supportive, sustainable & FUN approach to weight loss. She empowers women with her "live it like you lost it" philosophy that teaches how to enjoy favorite foods as part of life's joyful experiences, while building a positive relationship with food and body image. When Lindsey is "off duty" she enjoys road tripping with her family, snuggling with her Frenchie & being a soccer/dance/football and basketball mom to her four kids.  
Find Lindsey on IG @eat.pray.lift.nutrition or visit www.eatprayliftwithlindsey.com
 

EP 35 Having hope when facing disappointing change

Let's be real, change is inevitable and you're not always going to be cool with it. There will always be disappointments in life. It is part of the human experience. BUT, rest assured, there are ways to handle disappointment and still be okay. You are going to be okay.
This episode takes you through positive yet realistic ways to manage through changes that you're not happy about now or maybe ever.
Two things are for certain, besides change is inevitable. One, you can maintain a positive attitude, by having hope or at least a belief or confidence in yourself to be able to move through something difficult. And two, you are in control of yourself. How you respond or react is up to you.
Now, further into the episode, I take you through several ways to cope, manage and accept disappointing change at any level.
Listen until the end and share this with a friend who needs it, too.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for listening. Please rate and review the Needy and Normal podcast, come back next week, and be kind to yourself!
I am a life transition coach. I am an expert in change management while taking care of your most essential needs. For information about coaching together, visit www.abllifecoaching.com. Grab my free resource, book your Life Assessment Session, or explore the coaching packages I offer. This may be just what you need, my friend.
Take care.
 
 

EP 34 Halloween TRUE Scary Story!

Have you ever seen a ghost?? This is a special Halloween edition of the Needy and Normal podcast! Stay until the end IF YOUR DARE as I walk you through my favorite mindset trick around FEAR!
My TRUE scary story begins at the 6:00 mark. Enjoy! Happy Halloween!
***I love scary stories! So, if you have one to tell, PLEASE share it with me in the comments, on Instagram or email me directly at ashley@abllifecoaching.com.
Your needs matter, because you matter!
Thank you for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Please be sure to share this episode, rate the pod, and come back next week!
For a free resource and to learn more about me and my coaching services, visit www.abllifecoaching.com and come see me on IG @abllifecoaching.

EP 33 Six Pillars to Assess Your Life

Do you need a life check? Enjoy this life assessment episode. Who doesn’t love free advice, especially if this is something you NEED?!
These six pillars are meant to help you explore and assess your life, based on Ashley's research and client work.
You might need a pen and paper for this one, because as you listen, you can be writing down your own thoughts and feelings that come to mind. 
What you will learn:
•How to pause and look at specific parts of your life more closely.
•How to find clarity in what actually is going well for you and what actually matters to you.
•How to better understand what’s not going well in your life, and being kind enough to yourself to take time and space to explore and reflect.
•How to take action based on your priorities and essential needs connected to each pillar.
The ABL Life Assessment Pillars:
Self-care habits
Relationships - family, friends, romantic partner
Career and financial security 
Connection and belonging (sense of community)
Purpose and alignment 
Mental outlook and resiliency
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thanks for listening and reviewing the Needy and Normal podcast! See you next week!
To snag the FREE resource (The 7-Step Formula to Move Through a Life Transition with MORE Confidence), to purchase the ABL Life Assessment Session and for more information on coaching, visit www.ABLlifecoaching.com
DM Ashley on IG for any questions or comments you may have @abllifecoaching.
Take care!

EP 32 A sober story with guest, Tracey B.

In this episode, Tracey shares about her intimate and functional relationship with alcohol. 
She tells her story from how the drinking began, a tender walk down memory lane. Panic attacks and feeling a low amount of self worth, the drinking increased overtime to “escape” and quiet the anxiety. 
Tracey continues with brutal honesty on how it became “normal” to be drinking all day, everyday. She confesses that a functional alcoholic can hide in everyday life as she did.
After years, the excessive and regular consumption finally led to Tracey recognizing it was a problem. With strength and determination, she made this next and difficult choice to stop. 
Tracey listened to her body and decided to become sober one hour at a time. She shares this experience in detail. “It’s dealing with the emotions” you didn’t face while drinking, that once you’re sober, is harder than quitting, she says.
Tracey remains strong in her sobriety today.
Let this story be inspiring to you to not feel alone, and to know that you can change your life by choosing your well-being one hour at a time. You CAN choose to love yourself.
If you or someone you love is experiencing a harmful relationship with alcohol, please reach out for support, to a loved one, a church or safe place, to Alcoholics Anonymous, or to Tracey or Ashley. You’re not alone.
This may just be the story you needed to hear today.
A huge thank you to Tracey Bartlebaugh for sharing her story in the raw, with hopes to make a difference in someone’s life. 
Thank you for listening to the Needy and Normal podcast. Please share this episode with someone you love, leave us a review, and come back again next week.
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Feel free to contact Tracey at Tracey0501@yahoo.com, she’s happy to listen and support you.
Book your free initial life coaching session with Ashley at www.abllifecoaching.com. 

EP 31 Waiting to exhale, the human experience: Survival mode vs rely mode

Let's be real about the human experience with living in survival mode. I question, no I argue this with my therapist often, as I am in a state of survival mode for most of the year. Being a sports broadcaster's wife, raising kids, and living away from ALL of our family, comes with challenges.
Our life is full, and never boring, but I feel like it's hard as well. Hard in the way that the weight of our world is in my hands often. I question the partnership my husband and I have when I can't rely on him like "normal" families can. But, it's normal to be different, right? We all live lives that come with challenges and change. So, who I am to feel like I am singled out?
Survival mode is a state we all face at times. But what about the affects of living in it for long periods of time? I walk through my experience coming down from survival mode and into what I like to call "release and rely" mode.
After a long MLB season, I had to give in. My body was calling for rest in a big way. Though it can be short-lived, I alway need it. We all need it. We need to be able to give in, let go, and rely on our support systems.
In this episode, I ask questions like: When do we need survival mode? When do we need to "let go," and ask for help? Is there a balance we can find between the two extremes?
What do you think? Please feel free to send me your feedback via IG @abllifecoaching. 
Your needs matter, because you matter.
Thank you for listening, rating and reviewing the podcast, and for sharing it generously with people you care about most.
To learn more about coaching, visit www.abllifecoaching.com for your FREE initial consultation.