Ep. 601 “Why High-Functioning Women Stay Stuck” – The Nervous System Patterns Keeping You in Survival Mode with Dr. Nicole LePera
About this episode
Dr. Nicole LePera discusses the impact of childhood experiences on adult behavior and the influence of perimenopause and menopause on emotional health.
I am delighted to reconnect with Dr. Nicole LePera today. Trained in clinical psychology, she is a holistic psychologist whose work explores the interconnections among the mind, body, and soul, incorporating holistic lifestyle and psychological wellness practices. She has written multiple New York Times bestselling books, most recently Reparenting the Inner Child. In today’s conversation, we unpack what the inner child really means from a clinical perspective. We explore how understanding your childhood wounds intellectually differs from truly re-parenting yourself at the nervous system level, and how perimenopause and menopause influence the way we view the world. We look at ACE scores and the biology of childhood adversity, how ACE scores measure what happened to us, but fail to measure resilience, protective factors, or the capacity for healing. We examine how reactive parents shape our nervous system, and how that shows up as hypervigilance, emotional scanning, and self-erasure, and how the fawn response can lead to chronic people-pleasing, relentless accommodation, and an inability to say no. We also cover how epigenetics and lifestyles influence behavioral patterns…
People in this episode
Host: Everyday Wellness™
Guest: Dr. Nicole LePera
Topics covered
- inner child
- nervous system
- perimenopause
- menopause
- childhood adversity
- emotional health
- holistic psychology
Keywords
- high-functioning women
- survival mode
- ACE scores
- reactive parents
- vagal tone
- people-pleasing
- epigenetics
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Reparenting the Inner Child
More episodes of Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+
- Ep. 605 "What Happens When You Stop the Pill in Midlife?" | Oral Contraceptives, Menopause, Perimenopause, Hormones
- Ep. 604 “It’s Not Just Vitamin D!” – How Sunlight Supports Blood Pressure, Mood & Hormonal Health with Rowan Jacobsen | Perimenopause, Menopause, Sleep
- BONUS: Breaking Down Calorie Restriction, Protein Intake and The Ketogenic Diet with Chris Irvin
- Ep. 603 The Microbiome's Role in Heart and Metabolic Health with Dr. William Davis | Menopause, Perimenopause, Microbiome
- Ep. 602 “The Gallbladder-Hormone Connection” – How Perimenopause Changes Bile Flow and Gallbladder Health | Menopause, Perimenopause, Gallbladder Health
- BONUS: Break Free: Proven Steps To Get Rid Of Stubborn Belly Fat with Cynthia Thurlow, NP
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+ podcast page.