Here are two polished paragraphs for your Apple Podcasts description, Wendy:

In this episode, I share a simple moment from my Thanksgiving break that opened up a much bigger conversation—finally discovering my seasonal color palette. What started as a fun activity with my sister and sister-in-law uncovered a powerful metaphor about being seen, understood, and supported. Just like the right colors help us look more like ourselves, understanding how our brains are wired can help us live more like ourselves. I walk through what seasonal color analysis actually is, why it works, and how it unexpectedly connected me back to my own journey with ADHD and mental health.

I also explore why getting an accurate diagnosis can be so validating and empowering. A diagnosis isn’t a label that limits who you are—it’s information that helps you know how to work with your brain instead of against it. From quieting self-criticism to creating systems that support your unique wiring, clarity can help you show up in your life with more confidence and compassion. If you’ve ever wondered whether naming what you’re experiencing would actually help, this episode offers a gentle, relatable perspective on why understanding yourself is one of the most freeing things you can do.

contact me: email: wendy@wendyparrish.com

Instagram: @wendyparrishcoachin

This week we’re diving into indulgent emotions—those sneaky feelings that look like healing and self-reflection but actually keep us stuck. Confusion, overwhelm, worry, self-pity… they can all feel responsible, productive, or even spiritual. But when they don’t lead to action, they trap us in motion instead of progress. I’ll walk you through how these emotions hijack your brain, keep you feeling “busy,” and quietly protect you from discomfort, rejection, and failure.

I’ll also share practical tools to shift from indulgent emotions to powerful ones like determination, courage, commitment, and curiosity. You’ll learn how to identify the feeling you’re indulging in, how to look at the actions it creates, and how to choose a new emotion that supports the life you want. If you’re tired of spinning in circles and ready to build momentum, self-trust, and action-based healing, this episode is for you.

contact me: email: wendy@wendyparrish.com

instagram: @wendyparrishcoaching

In this episode, I’m unpacking the truth about gratitude—what the research actually says, why it can support our mental health, and why it sometimes falls completely flat. Studies show that gratitude can reduce depression, lower stress, strengthen relationships, and even improve sleep and immune function. But those benefits only show up when gratitude is practiced in a grounded, realistic way. I break down how to avoid slipping into toxic positivity, how to honor your real emotions first, and how to use gratitude without gaslighting yourself into feeling something you don’t.

I also share five practical, evidence-backed ways to make gratitude work for you, even on the days when everything feels heavy or neutral at best. From setting intentions and embracing the small things to getting specific and trusting the process, these tools can help you stay present with both the hard and the hopeful parts of your life. My goal is to help you build emotional resilience—not by forcing positivity, but by widening your perspective just enough to notice the moments that steady you.

Contact me: @wendyparrishcoaching

email: wendy@wendyparrish.com

In this episode, I share what getting back into running has taught me about resilience, mental health, and the power of intentional discomfort. After years of injuries and setbacks, I finally realized that rebuilding strength—physically and emotionally—starts with choosing to push against resistance instead of avoiding it. From sprint intervals to glute work to nervous-system regulation, I talk about how training my body has directly trained my mind, helping me break cycles of fear, fragility, and “I can’t do this.” This is the real process of becoming anti-fragile: learning to hold discomfort without shutting down and expanding your capacity one uncomfortable rep at a time.

I also dive into the mind-body tools that build emotional strength from the inside out—like somatic work, meditation, breath awareness, and choosing physical challenges on purpose. These practices don’t just strengthen muscles; they rewire the brain, deepen self-trust, and help you step out of victim mode and back into ownership of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. If you’re looking for practical ways to grow resilience, regulate your nervous system, and reconnect with your inner strength, this episode will give you both the science and the lived experience behind what it takes to build a stronger, steadier you.

contact me:

wendy@wendyparrish.com

instagram: @wendyparrishcoaching

website: wendyparrish.com

In this episode, I revisit the idea of “big T” and “little t” trauma after hearing Dr. Frank Anderson discuss why these labels can sometimes get in the way of healing. I agree with him that trauma is defined by its impact, not the size or obviousness of the event. But I also share why naming my own experiences—especially the ones I minimized for years—was a crucial step in recognizing how my nervous system had been shaped. Without language, I couldn’t see the patterns that were quietly directing my responses, relationships, and sense of safety. For many of us, naming isn’t about hierarchy. It’s about awareness.

I walk listeners through the reflective questions Dr. Anderson uses to help people identify the parts of themselves that still carry overwhelm, fear, or unprocessed pain. And as I explore each question, I share examples from past coaching conversations to make the process tangible and relatable. I close with a discussion on self-compassion—what it actually looks like, why it matters, and why learning to treat ourselves with the same understanding we offer others can become a turning point in healing. This episode is an invitation to stop minimizing your pain, start naming your story, and take the first real steps toward nervous system repair and emotional resilience.

contact me:

email: wendy@wendyparrish.com

instagram @wendyparrishcoaching

For a long time, I thought trauma was something that only happened to other people — the big, obvious kind you see in movies or read about in books. But when I entered residential treatment in 2022, I discovered something I’d never heard of before: little t trauma. These are the smaller, often invisible experiences that still shape how we see ourselves and the world — infertility, rejection, chronic stress, loss, or simply years of feeling “not enough.” In this episode, I share my story of learning that healing isn’t just for those with “big” trauma — it’s for anyone carrying pain that’s been minimized or misunderstood.

I’ll talk about how I went from believing I was “weak sauce” to understanding how my mind and body were trying to protect me all along. Together, we’ll explore why identifying little t trauma can be a turning point in building emotional resilience, releasing shame, and reclaiming your story. This episode is an invitation to give yourself grace, recognize your pain as valid, and start the process of healing — one small, courageous step at a time.

contact me: wendy@wendyparrish.com

instagram: @wendyparrishcoaching

In this episode of Messages from the Middle, I’m talking about a word that we may actually be underusing: grief. Unlike other therapy buzzwords I’ve covered in this series, grief is a word that usually gets used correctly—but not nearly enough. We’ve come to associate grief solely with death, and while grief absolutely belongs there, it also deserves space in so many other areas of our lives. I share how misunderstanding grief led me to feel unnecessary shame in my own experience, and how learning to name it allowed me to begin healing.

I’ll walk you through some of the most common myths around grief—the five stages, the timeline, the hierarchy—and offer a broader, more compassionate view of what grief really is and how it shows up. Whether you’ve experienced the loss of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, the shift of a dream, or just the quiet ache of a life that didn’t turn out the way you thought it would, this episode is an invitation to see grief differently—and to give yourself the permission you may not have known you needed.

contact me: email: wendy@wendyparrish.com

Instagram: @wendyparrishcoaching

We hear the word boundaries all the time—set them, hold them, respect them—but what do boundaries actually look like in real life? In this episode, I’m breaking down what boundaries are, what they’re not, and why so many of us get them wrong. I talk through common misconceptions, share real-life examples, and offer practical steps for setting boundaries that protect your peace without pushing people away.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for saying no, resentful in your relationships, or unsure how to follow through on the limits you’ve set, this one’s for you. I’ll walk you through the emotional backbone of boundary-setting—from self-awareness to self-respect—and help you reconnect with the version of yourself that knows your needs matter, too.

contact me:

email wendy@wendyparrish.com

instagram: @wendyparrishcoaching