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    About this Episode

    Have you ever broken down in frustrated tears (or anger) with the thought of “I just NEED A MINUTE TO REST!”? Or maybe you notice yourself trying to get everything done ahead of time so you can eventually rest without guilt, except there’s always more to do.  In this episode, I’ll explain how sometimes the biggest barrier to Optimized Rest is your mindset. 

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • The lesson I learned the hard way about what happens in our bodies when we ignore the signs of stress and overwhelm
    • The mindset blocks that keep you stuck in a loop of exhausting productivity and busy work
    • Four things you can REMOVE from your daily chaos that will help you build in more quality sleep hygiene and rest throughout your day



    PLUS, some quick and easy-to-incorporate practices that will help you build in pockets of rest for your brain throughout the day.   

     

    Links and resources:

    • Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox every M-F to help you get past the brain blocks keeping you stuck on groundhog day so you can take action and move the needle in your business.  Sign up at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily 
    • Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan 

    Recent Episodes from Brain Unblocked: The Brainspotting Podcast

    From Mundane to Life Changing with Rebeca Gilbert

    From Mundane to Life Changing with Rebeca Gilbert

    Are you a visual thinker struggling to wrap your mind around WTF Brainspotting actually means? Join me this week as Rebeca Gilbert shares her story, not only as a Licensed Professional Counselor open to giving BSP a try, but also as a wife supporting a partner with a terminal illness. 

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • Rebeca’s on-fire analogies for visual thinkers to understand subcortical brain alarms and processes

    • Her vulnerable story of “knowing” everything was fine but still feeling very out of control when her children got sick

    • How a totally mundane experience (“is this even doing anything?!?”) can have life changing results.

     

    PLUS, Rebeca’s fully open and honest description of her experience after having a “low bar” of expectations for Brainspotting. 

     

    Links and resources:

    • Connect with Rebeca: https://rebecagilbert.com/

    • How to Break Your Drinking Habit Without Feeling Like a Social Outcast or Party Pooper - free video training coming soon. Be the first to know https://www.carolynrobistow.net/optimizedaf

    • Email me the word CALL  at carolynrobistowconsulting@gmail.com if you’d like a free strategy session to discuss whether Self-led Brainspotting might be the missing piece in your business plan.

    • Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox everyday to nudge you from Groundhog Day to Optimized AF Entrepreneur.  Subscribe for free at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily 

    • Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan 

    • Stuck on the Groundhog Day Drinker’s Cycle of Shame? Download the free E-book: Mistaken Moderation now at https://carolynrobistow.net/mistakes

     

    How to Choose a Brainspotting Setup

    How to Choose a Brainspotting Setup

    Whether you’re using Brainspotting professionally or personally, with yourself or with others, it’s critical to feel confident in what to do.  If you’re second-guessing yourself, you risk getting overwhelmed and stopping short of transformation.  In this episode, I’ll explain what a setup is, why you need to know multiple setups, and how to choose the “right” one.

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • The 2 things to consider BEFORE you choose a setup

    • How you can compromise the process if you skip this step

    • What I recommend learning to simplify all the steps for different setups

     

    PLUS, I’ll share which setups I use most commonly for some of the more present issues in my practice.

     

    Links and resources:

     

    Why Knowing Better Does Not Equal Doing Better

    Why Knowing Better Does Not Equal Doing Better

    You’ve probably heard people say “when you know better, you do better.”  But sometimes there’s more to it than that.  And if you’re trying to “know” your way into a healthier relationship with alcohol by learning everything you can about it, but you’re still stuck on the Groundhog Day Cycle of Shame, it means you’re probably missing this critical piece of the puzzle. 

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • Why I asked to see the waiver after my last movie date with my husband.

    • The reason the brain-body connection is actually a misnomer.

    • The simple step to go from knowing to *knowing*

     

    PLUS, which Brainspotting setup I use to help my students embody the information that actually helps them do better. 

     

    Links and resources:

    • How to Break Your Drinking Habit Without Feeling Like a Social Outcast or Party Pooper - free video training coming soon. Be the first to know https://www.carolynrobistow.net/optimizedaf

    • Email me the word CALL  at carolynrobistowconsulting@gmail.com if you’d like a free strategy session to discuss whether Self-led Brainspotting might be the missing piece in your business plan.

    • Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox everyday to nudge you from Groundhog Day to Optimized AF Entrepreneur.  Subscribe for free at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily 

    • Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan 

    • Stuck on the Groundhog Day Drinker’s Cycle of Shame? Download the free E-book: Mistaken Moderation now at https://carolynrobistow.net/mistakes

     

    Game-Changing Results from Brainspotting and Business Clarity with Valarie Harris

    Game-Changing Results from Brainspotting and Business Clarity with Valarie Harris

    How big of a game-changer can Brainspotting actually be?  Valarie Harris is today’s guest to share about her very first experiences of using Self-guided Brainspotting to face some deep fears about her family as well as to increase her ability to make wise business decisions from an upleveled place of comfort despite uncertainty. 



    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • Valarie’s own story of her very first moments with Brainspotting

    • How to make uncertainty feel empowering

    • The game-changing work Valarie does with therapy practice owners

     

    PLUS, how you can meet up with Valarie in Belize to battle business owner burnout. 

     

    Valarie is passionate about promoting healing for those with a history of trauma. She has a unique way of helping mental health providers, clients, and the public understand trauma and how it affects the brain and body. She is an advocate at her core and utilizes writing and guest appearances for the purpose of educating the general public and reducing the stigma surrounding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

    Currently, Valarie serves as the Clinical Director for her group practice. She also offers clinical supervision, retreats for business owners, consulting, and training on topics such as trauma-informed care, attachment-based leadership, and growing a million-dollar teaching practice.

     

    Links and resources:

    • Email me the word CALL  at carolynrobistowconsulting@gmail.com if you’d like a free strategy session to discuss whether Self-led Brainspotting might be the missing piece in your business plan.

     

    4 Vital Issues Every Alcohol-Free Entrepreneur Should Brainspot

    4 Vital Issues Every Alcohol-Free Entrepreneur Should Brainspot

    You already know Brainspotting can get you out of old patterns and into consistent and focused action on your goals.  But where do you even start?  Especially if you only know one (or maybe even none) of the Brainspotting setups? In this episode, I’ll give you a map for how to build an effective Self-led Brainspotting practice. 

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • The 4 vital issues you need to address in my opinion

    • What happens if you skip just one of these recommendations

    • The often-forgotten importance of using Brainspotting to clear and recharge your internal processing systems

     

    PLUS, how many setups do you need for the ideal Self-led Brainspotting practice?

     

    Links and resources:

    • Email me the word CALL  at carolynrobistowconsulting@gmail.com if you’d like a free strategy session to discuss whether Self-led Brainspotting might be the missing piece in your business plan.

    • Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox everyday to nudge you from Groundhog Day to Optimized AF Entrepreneur.  Subscribe for free at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily 

    • Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan 

    • Stuck on the Groundhog Day Drinker’s Cycle of Shame? Download the free E-book: Mistaken Moderation now at https://carolynrobistow.net/mistakes

    2 Simple Signs a Brain Block is Postponing Your Success

    2 Simple Signs a Brain Block is Postponing Your Success

    Is it you or is it a brain block?  People always ask me how to know if it’s an issue to brainspot or just a time to tweak an external system (like a schedule or an environment).  So in this episode, I’ll dive into some simple ways to check any block to see if it’s a brain block or not. 

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • The discipline lie

    • The language of your automatic brain

    • The two easy-to-remember tests you can give yourself anytime to identify a brain block

     

    PLUS, the simple step to take if you decide it IS a brain block.

     

    Links and resources:

    • Email me the word CALL  at carolynrobistowconsulting@gmail.com if you’d like a free strategy session to discuss whether Self-led Brainspotting might be the missing piece in your business plan.

    • Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox everyday to nudge you from Groundhog Day to Optimized AF Entrepreneur.  Subscribe for free at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily 

    • Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan 

    • Stuck on the Groundhog Day Drinker’s Cycle of Shame? Download the free E-book: Mistaken Moderation now at https://carolynrobistow.net/mistakes

    Brainspotting Calm and Confident Copywriting with Danielle Peters

    Brainspotting Calm and Confident Copywriting with Danielle Peters

    When you run a business, there are countless tasks that can lead to dysregulation (which then leads to Energetic Misdirection, Phantom Productivity, and Burnout).  In this episode, Danielle Peters, LMFT, shares her story of finding a surprising amount of calm amidst a cacophony of money stuff, imposter syndrome, and stress about visibility.  As the owner of a copywriting business for therapists and coaches, she also understands the nuanced needs of a dysregulated person as they browse the internet for the solution to their struggles.

     

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

          How much change Danielle noticed after one single Brainspotting experience

          What Danielle would say to the past version of herself who hadn’t yet tried Brainspotting

          How to know if your website is causing you dysregulation and leading to a stalled out project

     

    PLUS, the biggest mistakes Danielle sees therapists and coaches make when they write their own website copy.

     

    Danielle Peters LMFT is a therapist turned copywriter who currently splits her professional time working as a therapist who supports mothers of neurodivergent kids and working as a copywriter writing blogs, and website copy for other therapists. In her personal life Danielle lives in California and is a mother of two who enjoys spending time with her kiddos outdoors hiking, camping, and doing anything near the water.

     

    Links and resources:

          Blog Writing Essentials for Therapists (free download) www.therapycopy.com/essentials

          Danielle Peters www.therapycopy.com

          Connect with Danielle on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-peters-1a254a1b1/

          Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox everyday to nudge you from Groundhog Day to Optimized AF Entrepreneur.  Subscribe for free at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily

          Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan

          Stuck on the Groundhog Day Drinker’s Cycle of Shame? Download the free E-book: Mistaken Moderation now at https://carolynrobistow.net/mistakes

          Follow me on Instagram: @carolynrobistow

          Brainspotting by Dr. David Grand https://amzn.to/3AvtiNK

          Email me the word CALL  at carolynrobistowconsulting@gmail.com if you’d like a free strategy session to discuss whether Self-led Brainspotting might be the missing piece in your business plan.

    An Honest Review of Balanced Productivity Blueprint with Dr Dawn Brunkenhoefer of The Practice Class

    An Honest Review of Balanced Productivity Blueprint with Dr Dawn Brunkenhoefer of The Practice Class

    Have you ever sat down to do a seemingly simple task only to find yourself down a rabbit hole of phantom productivity, busily researching a related-but-unnecessary topic.  And before you know it, your time to work has ended and you’re no closer to your income goal than you were when you started?  Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer can relate!  In this episode she shares her story of discovering performance anxiety around recording her online course, and how she used Self-led Brainspotting to get out of her own way.  



    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • Dawn’s aha moment when she used Self-led Brainspotting on her performance anxiety block for recording her online courses

    • The truth about how shame keeps therapists stuck using outdated modalities and less effective treatments

    • Dawn’s take on how easy it was to learn and implement Self-led Brainspotting using the Balanced Productivity Blueprint

     

    PLUS, how you can join us next year in Costa Rica for a chance to practice Self-led Brainspotting while surrounded by peaceful beaches and majestic mountains. 

     

    Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer, LPC has taken her years of experience opening mental

    health facilities, running (and growing) a group private practice, along with her passion

    for helping others to create The Practice Class, LLC, an innovative alternative for

    therapists seeking “out of the office” experiences in all things continuing education,

    training, resources, and support. She loves the counseling field and truly enjoys

    supporting other therapists!

    After years of being a director for the “authority” she decided to start her own group

    practice. She transitioned from agency work to full-time private practice. Finding

    herself struggling in a sedentary and lonely space (especially during the pandemic),

    she began walking and hiking. She offered walk-and-talks to her clients so she could

    get outside more. As an Approved Continuing Education Provider (NBCC ACEP

    7235), she offers innovative counselor education content to all levels of licensed

    therapists by hosting retreats, webinars, conferences, courses, and resources to

    therapists of all levels.



    Links and resources:

    • The Practice Class by Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer: www.thepracticeclass.com

    • Contact Dr. Dawn Brunkenhoefer: dr.dawn@thepracticeclass.com

    • Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox everyday to nudge you from Groundhog Day to Optimized AF Entrepreneur.  Subscribe for free at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily 

    • Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan 

    • Stuck on the Groundhog Day Drinker’s Cycle of Shame? Download the free E-book: Mistaken Moderation now at https://carolynrobistow.net/mistakes

    Financial Flow, The Curious Voyage, and other ways Cynthia Schwartzberg has made Brainspotting accessible

    Financial Flow, The Curious Voyage, and other ways Cynthia Schwartzberg has made Brainspotting accessible

    Cynthia Schwartzberg is a Brainspotting powerhouse. Her creativity and openness to curiosity have resulted in countless advances in the ways we use Brainspotting both inside the therapy room and with non-clinical brain blocks. Join me in this episode as she talks about her own Brainspotting story as well as some of the newest ways she’s using Brainspotting to change lives.

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • Cynthia’s story of discovering how her back pain was tied to an emotional experience, not a physical one.

    • She breaks down the pillars and phases of her new program Financial Flow, where she teaches the use of Brainspotting for increasing the flow of money through your life.

    • Her heartfelt words for her younger Self who hadn’t yet discovered the power of Brainspotting in her life.

     

    PLUS, information on Cynthia’s upcoming trainings. Whether you’re already trained in Brainspotting or not, Cynthia has trainings for all levels.

    Cynthia Schwartzberg, LCSW is a Senior Brainspotting Trainer, Consultant and Therapist. Cynthia focuses on training other professionals how to utilize Brainspotting with their clients and is innovative with the modality developing programs including Brainspotting and Parts, Clearing Limbic-Countertransference, ImageSpotting, and the Beyond Spot. She founded the Southeast Brainspotting Institute and is passionate about helping people use the Brainspotting modality for their own growth. Cynthia teaches Self-Spotting for those wanting to integrate the focused mindfulness of Brainspotting into their meditation process and life in general.

    This focused mindfulness process of Brainspotting is integrated into the Financial Flow program co-created with Beth Medina, a Brainspotting Consultant, and Therapist and applied to all aspects of one’s financial life. Their most recent program is called Optimize Your Financial Life. It is a 4-part series to explore the relationship to money, The program assists to identify, explore, and clarify what's getting in the way of having and holding onto money. It also addresses money beliefs and releasing what is no longer serving in the areas of earning, spending, saving, investing and giving. Participants have discovered life changing and financial shifts in these areas.

     

    Links and resources:

    The Surprising Way Money Mindset Postpones Your Success (and it’s not because you don’t think you’re worth it) [Money Mini-series part 2 of 2]

    The Surprising Way Money Mindset Postpones Your Success (and it’s not because you don’t think you’re worth it)  [Money Mini-series part 2 of 2]

    Do you know that earning more money is the goal, and even have a solid strategy for how to make it happen, but STILL get in your own way?  You’ve probably been told it’s because you’re tying your success to your self-worth, but what if that’s actually not true? 

     

    You don’t want to miss:

     

    • The surprising reason you might be self-sabotaging your financial success, and it’s not because you don’t have strong self-worth

    • The unspoken stresses your midbrain might focus on when you think of earning more money

    • The cultural implications of increased wealth, and how your brain and body might push back on these implications

    PLUS, the simple one word email to send when you’re ready to get out of your own way with money sh*z.

     

    Links and resources:

    • Book a free strategy call with Carolyn to find out how to unblock your brain blocks around money: https://calendly.com/carolynrobistow/strategy

    • Get a Daily Brain Block Buster delivered right to your inbox everyday to nudge you from Groundhog Day to Optimized AF Entrepreneur.  Subscribe for free at https://carolynrobistow.net/daily 

    • Download your free body scan meditation so you can take the first step toward subcortical healing https://carolynrobistow.net/bodyscan 

    • Stuck on the Groundhog Day Drinker’s Cycle of Shame? Download the free E-book: Mistaken Moderation now at https://carolynrobistow.net/mistakes

    • Email me at carolynrobistowconsulting@gmail.com