Why do certain situations make your chest tighten or your voice go quiet, even when you know you're capable?

This episode explores why those reactions aren't random, and how habits formed very early in life can still be shaping how you show up today.

Episode Description

Have you ever noticed how your body reacts before your mind has time to catch up?

Your chest tightens.
Your shoulders lift.
Your voice gets quieter, or disappears altogether.

And afterwards, you wonder: Why did I do that? I know better.

In this episode, I explore why these moments of hesitation, freezing, or holding back aren't confidence problems or personal flaws, they're often old habits that once helped you feel safe.

I share a real client story where what looked like "feeling stuck" turned out to be a deeply familiar pattern, formed very early in life to protect love, safety, and belonging. Not something to fix. Not something to push through. Something to understand.

This is a gentle, grounded conversation about:

• why we develop habits as children

• why they stay with us for decades

• and how curiosity, not force, is what actually allows change

If you've ever felt frustrated with yourself for reacting in ways you don't fully understand, this episode will help you see yourself differently and move forward with far more compassion and clarity.

What You'll Take From This Episode

• Why many adult habits begin as early childhood coping strategies

• How to recognise when your nervous system shifts into protection mode

• The difference between intuition and fear-based protection

• A powerful reframe: today's limiting belief was yesterday's solution

• Why awareness softens patterns that effort never could

• One simple question that helps old habits stop running the show

Support & Next Steps

1:1 Coaching (February – 2 spaces)
The work you heard in this episode is exactly how I support my clients, slowing things down, understanding old habits, and responding differently now.

No pressure. Just a conversation.

https://jennymcoaching.com/contactme/

Listen & Subscribe

If this episode resonated, make sure you're following the podcast so you don't miss the next conversation.

Remember

Nothing you're doing is random.

The habits you judge once kept you safe.

You don't need fixing.

You need understanding.

And that changes everything.

Turn everyday friction into calm, confident connection, without a major overhaul.

Feeling stuck in the same old arguments? Let's change that, reach out to me through link below and let's chat about how coaching can work for you.

https://jennymcoaching.com/contactme/

Why does it always blow up over nothing?

You say one small thing, and suddenly it's a thing. Tension rises. Voices raise. You walk away wondering, How did we get here, again?

If your days are full of tiny moments that feel unnecessarily difficult, this episode is for you. We're talking about the kind of chaos that creeps in quietly: the quick snap, the sigh, the eye roll, the missed cue. Not a big dramatic crisis, just a steady hum of friction that wears you down.

This week, I walk you through a real client story that shows what happens when you stop trying to fix everyone else's behavior and start getting clear on your own intention instead. One pause. One reframe. One honest, no-blame conversation and everything changes.

Why This Episode Matters

Most people don't come to coaching because they want better communication. They come because their life feels harder than it needs to. What they discover is that the change doesn't come from forcing new rules or chasing compliance, it comes from getting calm, getting clear, and choosing connection over control.

This episode is about the power of small shifts done consistently. It's not about school bags or chore charts or "getting your point across." It's about learning to ask, What actually matters here? and letting your communication reflect that.

What You'll Learn:

• How to catch yourself before you spiral into the same old argument

• What's really underneath everyday frustration (hint: it's not the bag)

• A 4-step script for calm, no-blame communication

• How to create clear expectations without nagging or power struggles

• Why setting boundaries is easier when you lead with appreciation

• The surprising ripple effect of showing up differently, without needing perfection

Resources & Links:

I've got 2 spaces open this February for 1:1 coaching. If this episode hit home and you're thinking, "I need this in my life," now's the time to reach out.

I work with a small number of clients because this work is personal. It's about learning to pause, communicate clearly, and build calmer habits that actually stick. No pressure, just a real conversation about what's possible.

https://jennymcoaching.com/contactme/

Listen & Follow

Don't miss the next breakthrough, follow the show and share it with a friend who may need to hear this.

Remember

You don't need a personality transplant to communicate better. You just need tools. And when you start showing up differently, even imperfectly, the ripple effect is real.

This is your invitation to pause. Reframe. And take the first calm step toward lasting change.

This podcast was produced by www.keystepsuport.com

Ever found yourself spiralling over something that hasn't even happened yet?

You're not alone. Sometimes, the most stressful part of change isn't the event itself, it's the anticipation. That space where nothing's happened yet, but your mind is running worst-case scenarios on a loop.

In this episode, I'm sharing three specific tools that helped me move through one of those seasons: the weeks leading up to my son Jonah's big move to Los Angeles. While I was thrilled for him, I also felt completely ungrounded. And it wasn't the day he left that was hardest; it was the waiting.

If you've ever micromanaged your way through stress, replayed conversations in your head, or mistaken anxiety for intuition… this conversation is going to help you soften your state, so your thoughts and actions can follow.

This episode will help you:

• Break the habit of managing everyone else's emotions just to feel safe

• Interrupt the mental dress rehearsals that keep you stuck in worry

• And most importantly, get clear on what actually helps you find calm

What You'll Learn / Episode Takeaways:

• The #1 reason anticipation often feels worse than the actual event

• Why anxiety isn't always intuition—and how to tell the difference

• 3 tools to calm your state when you're spiralling:

1. Breathe differently (the 5-5-7 method I swear by)

2. Move your body (even in winter!)

3. Talk it through with someone safe

• How the "pause before strategy" changed the way I parent (and coach)

Why your state of being comes first, and how everything else flows from there

Resources & Links:

Sign up for my weekly newsletter and don't miss weekly actionable steps to a calmer life

https://jennymcoaching.com/resources/

Listen & Subscribe CTA:

Let's make calm your new habit, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss a weekly reset.

Remember:

You don't have to fix yourself. You just need tools.
And when you learn how to meet the moment you're actually in, everything shifts.
Be gentle with yourself. I'm rooting for you.