Have you ever caught yourself snapping at someone you love, shutting down mid-conversation, or saying yes when every part of you wanted to say no?

In this episode of the NeuroHeir℠ Podcast, Leanna explores the four core survival responses including fight, flight, freeze, and appease, and how they shape our emotional reactions, relationships, and generational patterns. You’ll also learn about the window of tolerance, how stress affects the brain, and why these ancient responses are not flaws but intelligent survival mechanisms.

You’ll Learn:

• What the window of tolerance is and how it explains emotional overwhelm
• How the amygdala, vagus nerve, and prefrontal cortex interact during stress
• Why your body’s reactions are adaptive and ancient
• How generational modeling keeps survival patterns on autopilot
• A reflection to identify your most common state and expand your window of tolerance

If this episode resonates with you, don’t forget to download the NeuroHeir Survival Response Map for a visual guide to finding your way back to calm.

Referenced Research & Resources:

• Impala Completing the Stress Cycle [Video]. (2013). YouTube. https://youtu.be/-QgglTik6G4?si=bbMNLONgqr1YnUEM
  (This wildlife clip visually illustrates the natural stress-release process often referenced in Peter A. Levine’s Somatic Experiencing® work.)
• Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Schore, A. N. (2019). Right Brain Psychotherapy. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Siegel, D. J. (1999). The Developing Mind: Toward a Neurobiology of Interpersonal Experience. Guilford Press.

Connect with me:
Instagram → @aligningwithleanna

Disclaimer:
Although I am a licensed Associate Clinical Mental Health Counselor, The NeuroHeir℠ Podcast is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, or medical treatment. The tools and practices I share are for educational and coaching purposes only. Every nervous system is unique, and what we discuss on this podcast should not replace your own individual therapeutic work or professional support.

The focus of this podcast is my coaching work, which centers on education, nervous system practices, and generational healing tools designed to support—not replace—your personal journey with a qualified provider.

If you are struggling with your mental health or experiencing overwhelming emotions, please seek support from a licensed professional in your area. You don’t have to do this work alone.

Most of us were never taught how to self-regulate. Instead, we learned to push through, shut down, or explode, because that’s what was modeled for us. These aren’t personality flaws; they’re nervous system responses passed down through generations.

In this episode of the NeuroHeir℠ Podcast, I share a simple, one-minute grounding practice you can use anytime you feel overwhelmed. You’ll learn why your nervous system reacts before you can think, what “somatic” really means, and how short practices can make a lasting difference for you, your relationships, and the legacy you’re creating.

Inside the episode, you’ll discover:

• A 5-step grounding practice that takes less than one minute.
• How generational patterns shape the way we respond to stress.
• Why naming sensations and orienting in the moment sends powerful safety cues to the body.
• How this practice connects to my 4N framework—Notice, Name, Nurture, and Navigate.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a powerful, research-backed tool to help you pause, reconnect, and choose how you want to respond instead of reacting on autopilot.

🎧 Listen now and download the free One-Minute Grounding Practice handout in the show notes to bring your nervous system back into balance—one breath at a time.

Research shows that body-based or somatic approaches can directly support nervous-system regulation by engaging interoception and proprioception (Payne, Levine, & Crane-Godreau, 2015) and improving trauma-recovery outcomes through embodied awareness and regulation (Price, 2005).

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who could use a moment of calm today, and DM me on Instagram @aligningwithleanna to let me know how the practice felt for you. Every small step matters, and I’d love to celebrate yours.

Episode 3 References

Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Somatic experiencing: Using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093

Price, C. J. (2005). Body-oriented therapy in recovery from child sexual abuse: An efficacy study. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 11(5), 46–57. PMID: 16189948; PMCID: PMC1933482.
Web link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1933482

Connect with me:
Instagram → @aligningwithleanna

Disclaimer:
Although I am a licensed Associate Clinical Mental Health Counselor, The NeuroHeir℠ Podcast is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, or medical treatment. The tools and practices I share are for educational and coaching purposes only. Every nervous system is unique, and what we discuss on this podcast should not replace your own individual therapeutic work or professional support.

The focus of this podcast is my coaching work, which centers on education, nervous system practices, and generational healing tools designed to support—not replace—your personal journey with a qualified provider.

If you are struggling with your mental health or experiencing overwhelming emotions, please seek support from a licensed professional in your area. You don’t have to do this work alone.

In this episode of the NeuroHeir℠ Podcast, I share the mission and heart behind this show. and who it’s really for. If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying too much, holding it all together for everyone else, or wondering if there’s a better way forward, this conversation is for you.

Did you know that we all inherit a nervous system shaped by the generations before us? Most of us don’t even realize it. Without awareness, we end up repeating patterns, carrying silence, or holding burdens that were never ours to carry. This episode explains why that matters, and how we can begin to shift what gets passed down.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:

• Who the NeuroHeir℠ Podcast is for and what transformation it offers
• Core values that guide this work—why healing is about awareness, compassion, and choice, not force or fracture
• What you won’t hear here: toxic positivity, surface-level fixes, or advice that pushes you to cut ties as the only way forward
• What you will hear: nervous system education, somatic tools, real stories, and conversations that help you create safety, connection, and possibility
• The bigger mission of becoming a NeuroHeir™: consciously shaping the legacy you want to pass on

Research continues to confirm that silence is not neutral. Suppression and unresolved trauma can ripple through families biologically and emotionally, influencing stress responses and relational patterns (Yehuda & Lehrner, 2018; El-Khalil et al., 2025).

If this episode resonated, subscribe to the NeuroHeir℠ Podcast so you never miss an episode. I’d love to hear what stood out for you. Send me a DM or voice memo on Instagram at @aligningwithleanna. And if you know someone who’s ready to heal what wasn’t theirs to carry, share this episode with them.

Episode 2 References

Yehuda, R., & Lehrner, A. (2018). Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: Putative role of epigenetic mechanisms. World Psychiatry, 17(3), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20568
Web link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wps.20568

Zhou, A., & Ryan, J. (2023). Biological embedding of early-life adversity and a scoping review of the evidence for intergenerational epigenetic transmission of stress and trauma in humans. Genes, 14(8), 1639. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14081639
Web link: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/14/8/1639

Connect with me:
Instagram → @aligningwithleanna

Disclaimer:
Although I am a licensed Associate Clinical Mental Health Counselor, The NeuroHeir℠ Podcast is not a substitute for therapy, counseling, or medical treatment. The tools and practices I share are for educational and coaching purposes only. Every nervous system is unique, and what we discuss on this podcast should not replace your own individual therapeutic work or professional support.

The focus of this podcast is my coaching work, which centers on education, nervous system practices, and generational healing tools designed to support—not replace—your personal journey with a qualified provider.

If you are struggling with your mental health or experiencing overwhelming emotions, please seek support from a licensed professional in your area. You don’t have to do this work alone.