Episode 164: Self-Care For When Stuff Hits the Fan

When life unravels, emotions run wild, and the universe feels like it has you in a chokehold, self-care isn’t a luxury — it’s survival. In this episode, Autumn opens up about a deeply personal and emotional chapter involving her beloved dog, Lily, and how wellness becomes both lifeline and lighthouse when things get heavy fast.

This conversation is raw, human, unscripted, and rooted in what it really looks like to fall apart and still support yourself through it. Autumn shares what she’s learning in real time — how spiritual care, emotional grounding, rest, and slowing down allow us to cope with big uncertainty instead of being swallowed by it.

You’ll hear how the eight dimensions of wellness play into resilience, what it means to have a self-care “bank account,” and how we can rebuild when we’ve poured ourselves into everyone else for too long. Most of all, you’re invited to pause, breathe, and check in with your own needs — not someday, but today.

If you want support through seasons like this or want to work with Autumn one-on-one, visit wellnessineveryseason.com or explore free resources and programs anytime. You don’t have to walk hard things alone — and you are worthy of care, softness, and wellness even when life is messy.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

Money isn’t just about math—it’s about your mind, your history, and your nervous system. In this episode, Autumn sits down with mental-health-focused finance coach and author Shang Saavedra to unpack why wealth is truly a mindset and why budgets keep “failing” for really human reasons, not because you’re bad with numbers.

Shang shares how childhood bullying, generational trauma, and growing up as an immigrant shaped her early “revenge success” story—and how she had to heal emotionally to build a healthier relationship with money. She walks through her three root causes of “bad” money behavior (feast and famine, adverse events, and scarce immigrant), the trigger → action → reward loop that quietly drives your spending, and why mental health needs to come before budgeting for lasting change.

Autumn and Shang also dig into:

• Why shame-based money advice backfires
• How divorce, medical debt, and caregiving can derail even high earners
• Teaching kids about money through modeling, chores, and allowance
• Why your career is not your identity—and how that truth can actually fast-track freedom

You’ll also hear Shang’s story of becoming work-optional in her 30s, the mindset shifts that made it possible, and what it really looks like to build wealth while honoring your mental health and values.

Connect with Shang on Instagram at @savemycents and learn more about her work and coaching at savemycents.com.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

Ever wish the people you love could hear you more deeply — and wonder how you could give that same gift back to them?

Today’s episode explores one of the most important skills for connection, conflict resolution, and emotional closeness: true, intentional listening.

In this conversation, I open up about my own growth as a recovering fixer, a coach, a parent, and a partner — and how learning to listen instead of solve has changed every relationship in my life. We talk about the difference between venting and advice, how to reflect back what you hear so others feel understood, and why “What else?” may be the most powerful question you’ll ever use. You’ll also hear practical tools for listening when you’re overwhelmed, distracted, neurodivergent, or flooded with your own emotions.

We dig into body language, shared energy, reading between the lines, and even how to gently guide conversations deeper without forcing them. By the end, you’ll walk away with simple but transformative practices you can use immediately — with your partner, children, coworkers, and especially with yourself.

If you want to strengthen your communication and build more secure, emotionally safe relationships, this episode is worth every minute. I hope you feel seen here.

Connect with me:

Instagram + Threads: @wellnessineveryseason

Podcast website: wellnessineveryseason.com

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

When life knocks you flat, how do you rise again—stronger, steadier, and somehow even more yourself? In this episode, Tara Geraghty, founder of Hey Girl You Can, joins me for a raw and energizing conversation about the real roots of resilience and why it’s the emotional backbone we all need.

Tara’s story isn’t polished—it’s powerful. She opens up about building her career almost accidentally, surviving domestic violence, and navigating her daughter’s childhood cancer. Through it all, she discovered something life-altering: resilience isn’t a personality trait. It’s a skill you can build, and it’s the one tool that changes everything.

Together, we talk about what resilience actually looks like in the messy, day-to-day real world—parenting through medical trauma, advocating for our kids when the medical system gets it wrong, and learning to trust ourselves again after life has shattered us a little. Tara shares simple, grounded practices like gratitude journaling, reframing scary experiences, and helping kids feel powerful even in medical environments that typically take their power away.

If you’re craving strength, community, and the reminder that you can rise even when life feels heavy, this conversation will land right where you need it.

Explore Tara’s work, join her community, or take her 5-Day Resilience Challenge at www.taragonline.com. And follow her on social: @tarasvoice and @tarasvoiceig on Instagram.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

When was the last time you really checked in with yourself—body, brain, and heart—not just powered through?

In this solo episode, Autumn dives into what it truly means to tune into yourself, especially during seasonal shifts when your body aches more, your energy dips, and life feels just a bit “off.” She shares candidly about starting a new ADHD/anxiety medication, how it unexpectedly quieted her anxiety loop, and how that calm has revealed deeper misalignments in her life—not depression, but an invitation to realignment.

You’ll hear how small, practical tweaks—like swapping out an unsupportive office chair, adjusting a monitor height, replacing worn-out shoes, or rethinking your pillow—can dramatically reduce pain and tension. Autumn also explores self-intimacy: knowing what you need, how you like to be cared for, and where you’re still outsourcing self-knowledge to partners, professionals, or distractions like social media.

She invites you to notice where there’s friction in your day-to-day life, what your body has been trying to tell you, and what it might be time to let go of—just like the trees in fall.

Connect with Autumn and the Wellness in Every Season community through her website and social links in the show notes, and reach out if you’re ready for deeper one-on-one support.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

When your mind runs hot, your skin often tells the story—and in this episode, that story becomes a path to relief. Dr. Jeanne Retief joins Autumn to trace the invisible thread between anxiety and the skin, sharing how panic disorder reshaped her life and inspired FIGGI Beauty, a line created for dry, sensitive skin. Together they unpack why stress can spark burning, redness, itching, and breakouts, how cortisol and the fight-or-flight response sensitize nerve endings just beneath the skin, and why gentle, consistent routines can feel like shade on a too-bright day.

You’ll hear practical ways to build a soothing toolkit that fits real life—from nontraditional “meditation” moments like swinging, gardening, or sipping tea, to sunscreen habits that protect without overwhelm. Dr. Jeanne also explains why she chose antioxidant-rich green rooibos extract as FIGGI’s hero ingredient and how FIGGI Soul extends the work inward with down-to-earth support for living with anxiety without the pressure to be “fixed.”

Explore FIGGI Beauty and FIGGI Soul at figgibeauty.com, and connect with Dr. Jeanne on Instagram at @figgi.beauty. If this conversation helps you breathe a little easier in your own skin, share it with someone who needs that same exhale.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

When your body’s signals feel loud but the answers feel out of reach, this conversation brings light to the fog. In Episode 158, Autumn sits down with Functional Medicine Nurse and Board Certified Nurse Coach Vanda Aubrey to unpack what’s really going on with hormones—from irregular cycles and draining PMS to the confusing shifts of perimenopause.

Vanda shares the personal journey that led her into functional medicine and the practical, compassionate framework she now uses with clients. You’ll hear how timeline-based care, mineral balance, and stress mapping can change the story, why “common” doesn’t always mean “normal,” and how tests like HTMA and, when appropriate, DUTCH can replace guesswork with clarity. We explore real before-and-afters, the power of cycle-synced nutrition, and what to prioritize if you’re feeling off but don’t know where to start.

If you’re ready to dig deeper, Vanda offers a 12-week one-on-one program, a Quick Start Hormone Audit, and a cycle-synced meal plan with her “Get to Know Aunt Flo” mini class. HSA/FSA payments are supported. Connect with her at wellnesswithvanda.com and on Instagram at @wellness.with.vanda, where you can grab her free Hormones 101 Secret Podcast via the link in her bio. For coaching and on-demand programs from Autumn, visit wellnessineveryseason.com.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."

In this insightful and heartwarming episode, Autumn Carter sits down with Dr. Trevor Carlson, a pediatric physical therapist and author of Tummy Time to Walking, to explore the fascinating world of child motor development. Together, they unpack the small yet powerful milestones that help babies go from lifting their heads to taking their first steps, and how parents can gently support their child’s natural progression without added stress or comparison.

Dr. Carlson shares his journey from runner to pediatric PT, offering compassionate wisdom from years of helping children and families overcome developmental challenges. He discusses how tummy time shapes brain and body growth, why crawling is still an important step even though it’s no longer a listed milestone, and what signs indicate it might be time for professional support. The conversation expands into the deeper emotional side of parenting—letting go of perfection, embracing each child’s unique pace, and finding joy in the process rather than the timeline.

Parents will walk away with practical insights on fostering coordination, balance, and lifelong movement confidence, as well as a reminder that play and patience are some of the most powerful tools for growth.

To learn more or get a copy of Dr. Carlson’s book, visit www.tummytimetowalking.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook at Therapy Kids Eureka.

For more wellness tips and exclusive content, join my newsletter! Sign up now at https://wellness-in-every-season.kit.com/5-days-to-mastering-mornings-and-evenings receive a free 5-day guide called "Awaken and Unwind: 5 Days to Mastering Life's Mornings and Evenings."