What if stress isn't the problem—but how you've been taught to respond to it is?

In this conversation, Mike Zoun breaks down why chasing calm keeps you stuck. Through heart rate variability (HRV) measurement and somatic practices, Mike reveals what your body has been trying to tell you all along: that symptoms aren't problems to fix, they're messages to listen to.

You'll learn about the three types of stress your nervous system experiences (and why each needs a different response), and how to build capacity to hold whatever arises—not just feel better temporarily.

This is about listening to your body as your most committed ally—speaking to you with unconditional love, showing you where you're out of alignment, where you're overextending yourself, and what needs your attention.

KEY TOPICS:

• Why what you think might be “good for you” isn't the same as what's actually good for your body
• The three types of stress: mental, emotional, and physical (and how to respond to each) Heart rate variability (HRV) and what it reveals about hidden stress
• Building nervous system capacity vs. chasing calm
• Authentic expression as nervous system regulation
• Why emotions only last 90 seconds (and what keeps you stuck)
• Movement as medicine: when your body needs activation, not stillness

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Your body's stress response is information, not malfunction
• Meditation isn't always the answer—sometimes your body needs movement
• True healing means building capacity to feel more, not numbing symptoms
• Authentic expression regulates your nervous system
• Your body speaks with unconditional love—until your last breath

ABOUT MIKE ZOUN:

Mike Zoun is the founder of The Present Edge, where he helps clients understand their nervous systems through HRV measurement and embodied practices. His work focuses on building capacity to feel and process emotions rather than managing or suppressing them.

Connect with Mike at www.thepresentedge.nl

Connect with the Garden of Becoming:

• Instagram: @gardenofbecomingpodcast
• Email: hello@gardenofbecoming.com

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In this deeply embodied conversation, sacred sexuality facilitator Briana Cribeyer reveals why our relationships trigger our youngest, most wounded parts—and how to practice showing up as adults in love. Whether you're monogamous, non-monogamous, or single, this episode offers revolutionary insights about nervous system regulation, desire, and the daily practice of truly meeting another person.

What You'll Learn:

Understanding Your Nervous System in Relationship:

• The "back heart" practice for coming back to your full body
• How to move at the pace of the nervous system that needs the most regulation
• The practice of merge and unmerge—being with yourself while in connection

Working With Desires:

• Why naming what you want feels so dangerous (and how to do it anyway)
• What to do when your desires don't match your partner's
• The core childhood wound that stops us from speaking our truth

Lessons From Non-Monogamy for Everyone:

• How to remeet your partner with fresh eyes after years together
• The practice of conscious beginnings and endings within long-term relationships
• Why we're actually in relationship with multiple people even in monogamy

Jealousy, Grief & The Big Feelings:

• How to honor jealousy as information rather than something to fix
• Why we need to grieve losses we never processed as children
• The relationship between feeling rage and accessing joy

Inner Child & Teenager Work:

• The practice of giving yourself what your younger parts needed
• How attachment styles predict your adult relationship patterns
• Moving from intellectual understanding to embodied awareness

About Briana Cribeyer:

Briana Cribeyer is a facilitator, trainer, and founder of Sacred Sexuality Rising. With a rich background in social services, non-profit management, and education, Briana blends her expertise in sociology and sustainability with deep spiritual practices rooted in movement, prayer, and shamanic healing. Her journey has taken her from the Midwest to the mountains and forests of Colorado, New Hampshire, and Washington, as well as abroad to Japan and South America, where she cultivated a profound connection to earth wisdom and womb medicine.
As a lead trainer for Intuitive Tantra and a facilitator for the International School of Temple Arts (ISTA), Briana guides individuals and communities toward transformation, healing, and self-empowerment. Her work emphasizes radical love, self-responsibility, and the belief that through these practices, we can shift the collective trajectory of humanity.
Her workshops and sessions are an expression of her deep commitment to cultivating connection, community, and alchemical transformation.

Resources Mentioned:

• Existential Kink by Carolyn Elliott
• Dr. Stacey Ellis - Liberation Workshops (inner child and inner adolescent work)
• Attachment theory literature
• Somatic Experiencing (body-based trauma healing)
• Rumi's teachings on lover and beloved

Connect with Briana:

• Website: https://www.brianacribeyer.com/
• Instagram: @she_boldly_goes_
• The Sacred Portal - Briana's membership program with monthly coaching and master classes

This episode contains mature discussions about relationships, sexuality, intimacy, and emotional processing. While educational in nature, listener discretion is advised.

Garden of Becoming explores the messy, beautiful work of becoming whole. Subscribe and follow for conversations that go beneath the surface.

Connect with us:

• Instagram: @gardenofbecomingpodcast
• Email: hello@gardenofbecoming.com

Review and Share: If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review to help others find this show, and share it with someone who needs to hear this message.