What does it really mean to live in alignment with your truth? In this episode, Rita Mercer talks with Amy Lenius about turning pain into purpose, building self-belief and self-worth, and redefining success on your own terms. Get ready for an inspiring conversation filled with practical wisdom and honest insights.

In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer is joined by Amy Lenius, Director of Group Coaching at Next Level University, professional speaker, and personal development coach. Amy opens up about her powerful journey of overcoming chronic illness, rebuilding her identity, and helping others align with their truth.

Together, we talk about the messy middle of growth, why hard days are actually a sign of progress, and how to cultivate both self-belief and self-worth. Amy shares why honoring your cyclical nature allows you to show up with more grace, and how to define success in ways that reflect your values—not external expectations.

We also dive into the “circle of control” and explore how sustainable, adaptable habits lead to real transformation.

Whether you’re navigating personal challenges or seeking more alignment in your life, this conversation will inspire you to pause, reflect, and start small.

Connect with Amy Lenius: Instagram/Facebook @AmyLenius
Join her community: Next Level Nation on Facebook

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In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer invites you to explore the power of language and how the words you choose shape your reality. So often we walk through life feeling weighed down by the words “I have to”—whether it’s work, relationships, or responsibilities. But what if you shifted your perspective and replaced those draining words with empowering ones?

✨ Instead of “I have to,” you begin saying, “I get to.” ✨

Through gentle reflection and a guided meditation, Rita will help you move from obligation to gratitude, from burden to privilege. This practice will encourage you to see opportunities instead of chores, freedom instead of limits, and love instead of guilt or shame.

Inside this episode, you’ll discover:

• How shifting one simple phrase can change your mood, energy, and outlook
• Reflection questions to help you explore wants vs. needs, obligations vs. opportunities
• A calming guided meditation to practice affirmations that reframe “I have to” into “I get to”
• Practical examples you can use daily—from work, family, and self-care—to help you embody gratitude and abundance

By the end of this episode, you’ll feel lighter, more empowered, and equipped with affirmations to carry through your day.

If this episode resonates with you, share it with someone who might need a reminder of the power of words. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and keep daring well.

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Are you looking for ways to feel more calm and happy? Do you want more stress management tools and techniques? Sign up to get on the email list to get more details for our upcoming wellness retreat (in-person and online).
https://www.daringwell.com/retreat

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
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Welcome back, wellness seeker! In this week's episode, we're exploring the hidden power of your your belief system and how the words you choose—especially absolutes like “always,” “never,” and “should”—can either make you feel trapped or more freedom.

This is not about guilt or shame—it’s about self-awareness and choosing to speak life and truth over yourself. You’ll learn how shifting just a few simple phrases can lighten your mental load and reshape your entire mindset.

Whether you're navigating burnout, striving for growth, or just want to speak to yourself more kindly, this episode is your invitation to pause, reflect, and reframe. You'll also get a taste of next week's episode with a powerful affirmation segment designed to lift your spirit and ground you in truth.

Key Takeaways:

• The danger of absolute language in your self-talk (e.g., never, always, should, have to)
• How words influence your mindset—either fixed or growth-based
• The connection between scarcity vs. abundance thinking
• A simple language shift that creates freedom and possibility
• A grounding affirmation segment to help you practice reframing
• Reflective questions to help you build awareness around your internal dialogue

Learn how to reframe phrases like:

• “I have to go to work” → “I get to go to work and share my gifts.”
• “I should’ve started earlier” → “I choose to begin from where I am, now.”

Stay Connected:

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need the reminder that their words matter. Your voice helps spread wellness and healing around the world.

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Follow us on social media:
@DaringWell

Are you looking for ways to feel more calm and happy? Do you want more stress management tools and techniques? Sign up to get on the email list to get more details for our upcoming wellness retreat (in-person and online).
https://www.daringwell.com/retreat

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
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What happens when the people we trust the most break that trust? Betrayal trauma cuts deeper than other wounds—it shakes our identity, self-worth, and ability to trust again. In this powerful episode of The Daring Well Podcast, host Rita Mercer sits down with Dr. Debi Silber, founder of the Post Betrayal Transformation Institute, to explore how unhealed betrayal impacts our health, relationships, and work—and how we can transform pain into personal power.

Dr. Debi shares her groundbreaking research, including the discovery of Post Betrayal Syndrome and the five predictable stages of healing that guide people from shock and survival to healing and rebirth. With stories, statistics, and practical wisdom, this conversation offers both hope and a roadmap for anyone stuck in the aftermath of betrayal.

✨ What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why betrayal is a unique form of trauma that impacts identity and trust
• The symptoms of Post Betrayal Syndrome and how it shows up physically, mentally, and emotionally
• Four self-reflection questions to uncover if you’re stuck in numbing or avoidance
• The five stages of betrayal recovery—and why so many stay stuck in Stage 3
• Practical steps you can take today to begin your healing journey
• Why betrayal can actually serve as an invitation to transformation and self-discovery

Whether you’ve experienced betrayal in relationships, work, or family, this episode will help you understand your pain, recognize the patterns keeping you stuck, and embrace a path toward healing.

Connect with & learn more about Dr. Debi Silber and her programs at The PBT Institute

https://thepbtinstitute.com/
.

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Follow us on social media:
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Are you looking for ways to feel more calm and happy? Do you want more stress management tools and techniques? Sign up to get on the email list to get more details for our upcoming wellness retreat (in-person and online).
https://www.daringwell.com/retreat

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
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In this week's episode of The Daring Well Podcast, Rita Mercer welcomes Dr. Julius Torelli, a cardiologist and holistic wellness advocate, to explore the power of gratitude, mindset, and a holistic lifestyle in shaping our health.

Dr. Torelli shares his journey from traditional medicine into developing the Gratefully Well Model, which blends the best of Western medicine with holistic practices. He explains how emotional overwhelm, stress, and limiting beliefs often show up as physical symptoms—and why addressing the whole person is essential for true healing.

Listeners will discover:

• The pivotal patient story that inspired Dr. Torelli to rethink medicine.
• How thoughts and beliefs directly impact the body’s physiology.
• The science-backed benefits of gratitude for mental and physical health.
• The Traceback Method of Gratitude, a practical tool for shifting stress into calm and appreciation.

Benefits of developing the Gratefully Well model as part of a healthy lifestyle includes:

• Improve recovery from illness and medical procedures
• Reduce symptoms of high blood pressure, pain, and illness
• Strengthen immune function
• Enhance sleep quality
• Increase resilience and stress coping skills
• Lower anxiety and depression

Whether you’re struggling with stress, managing chronic illness, or seeking more balance in life, this conversation will inspire you to live gratefully well every day.

✨Connect with Dr. Torelli:

• Dr. Torelli’s Website: www.gratefullywell.com
  
  
• Book: Holistic Health Pathways (Amazon)
• Substack Newsletter: Gratefully Well
• Free 7-Day Gratitude Challenge

🎧 Tune in and discover how gratitude can transform your health, your mindset, and your life.

Send us a text

Follow us on social media:
@DaringWell

Are you looking for ways to feel more calm and happy? Do you want more stress management tools and techniques? Sign up to get on the email list to get more details for our upcoming wellness retreat (in-person and online).
https://www.daringwell.com/retreat

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

This is one of the top 5 most downloaded episodes from last year —because it’s just that powerful and just that good! In this heartfelt conversation, host Rita Mercer, your wellness coach, licensed counselor, and virtual friend, guides you through the healing and restorative benefits of nature therapy.

If you’ve been feeling stressed, anxious, disconnected, or feeling stuck creatively, this episode is your gentle reminder to slow down, step outside, and reconnect with the natural world. Rita explores:

• What nature therapy is and the different forms it can take (forest bathing, grounding, eco-therapy, and more)
• The deficits we face when we don’t spend enough time in nature—like increased stress, emotional instability, and reduced creativity
• The physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of engaging with nature mindfully
• Simple cues that signal you might need a nature reset
• Practical, beginner-friendly tips to make nature a regular part of your life

Rita also shares the fascinating research behind how much time in nature makes a measurable impact on your well-being—and spoiler: it’s easier to fit into your week than you think.

Whether it’s a barefoot walk in your backyard, quiet reflection by a stream, or a gentle hike in the woods, you’ll learn how to make nature your reset button for mind, body, and spirit.

Send us a text

Follow us on social media:
@DaringWell

Are you looking for ways to feel more calm and happy? Do you want more stress management tools and techniques? Sign up to get on the email list to get more details for our upcoming wellness retreat (in-person and online).
https://www.daringwell.com/retreat

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
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In this episode of The Daring Well Podcast, we dive into what it really means to complete the stress cycle and restore balance in your nervous system. If you’re feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or exhausted—this conversation is for you.

You’ll learn how the fight-flight response works, why we get stuck in it, and how it impacts your mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. We also explore the power of the parasympathetic nervous system (your body’s rest-and-digest mode) and the simple tools you can use daily to reset, recharge, and feel safe again.

Rita walks you through practical ways to regulate your nervous system using breathwork, gentle movement, journaling, and the power of sacred rest. Plus, she shares an exclusive invitation to her upcoming Sacred Rest Online Retreat—a gentle wellness experience designed to help you release stress and reconnect to peace.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The science behind the fight-flight response and sympathetic nervous system
• Signs of a stuck stress response across mind, body, and spirit
• How to activate your parasympathetic nervous system for healing
• Simple and sustainable tools to complete the stress cycle
• How to reclaim rest as a necessary rhythm for wellness

🧘‍♀️ Join the Sacred Rest Online Retreat:

Ready to restore your nervous system and return to calm?
Visit: www.daringwell.com/retreat
Use code FRIEND2025 to bring a friend for free!

Send us a text

Follow us on social media:
@DaringWell

Are you looking for ways to feel more calm and happy? Do you want more stress management tools and techniques? Sign up to get on the email list to get more details for our upcoming wellness retreat (in-person and online).
https://www.daringwell.com/retreat

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies

In this transformative episode of The Daring Well Podcast, host Rita Mercer sits down with energy healer and acupuncturist Banya Lim, Acupuncturist, Energy Healer & Founder of the Chi Mastery System to explore how emotional energy impacts physical health—and how we can reclaim our well-being by listening to the wisdom of the body. Banya shares her inspiring personal healing journey from chronic illness and depression to vitality and joy using movement, meditation, and energy healing.

She also explains how emotions like fear, anger, and sadness create energetic blockages within specific meridians and organs, and how acupuncture, breathwork, and Qi-focused practices can help release those blockages. Learn the basics of Qi (energy), how to recognize where emotions live in the body, and what simple daily practices anyone can use to begin healing from the inside out.

Whether you're new to energy medicine or deep in your healing path, this episode offers profound tools and insights that can shift your mindset, improve your physical health, and awaken your emotional intelligence.

🔑 In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• How Banya Lim healed her own chronic conditions through emotional and energy work
• What Chi (energy) is and how it functions in the body
• The connection between mind, emotion, and physical pain
• Why meditation and movement are critical to emotional healing
• How to begin building a relationship with your body
• The importance of self-awareness in identifying internal blockages
• Why your thoughts can shape your health and reality

Connect with Banya Lim, Chi Mastery System

Interested in exploring energy healing or working with Banya? She’s offering a free clarity session for The Daring Well podcast listeners. Learn more or schedule at:

Website: www.banyalim.com

Send us a text

Follow us on social media:
@DaringWell

Are you looking for ways to feel more calm and happy? Do you want more stress management tools and techniques? Sign up to get on the email list to get more details for our upcoming wellness retreat (in-person and online).
https://www.daringwell.com/retreat

For free wellness resources. Click the link to tap into new ways to reset with mindfulness, holistic wellness tips, and coping skills.
https://www.daringwell.com/freebies