What if your chronic illness, pain, or fatigue is not random but a reflection of unresolved trauma stored in your body? In this episode, Sarah unpacks the powerful link between trauma, the nervous system, and physical health. Drawing on her own lived experience with autoimmune disease and chronic illness, she explains why time alone does not heal all, how unresolved experiences live on in our bodies, and why nervous system regulation is the most effective medicine.

You’ll get tangible somatic tools for how to process unresolved trauma and emotions by doing what’s called “completing the incomplete experience,” along with steps for reconnecting with your body, validating your pain, and restoring safety and resilience to your system. Later in the episode, Sarah is joined by Rachel to answer listener questions about menstrual cycles, fertility struggles, and navigating chronic pain. Tune in for clarity, reassurance, and hope that healing is always possible.

Episode Highlights:

• [0:00:00] The physical symptoms of trauma, chronic illness, and pain
• [0:01:25] An overview of trauma and how it overwhelms the nervous system
• [0:03:31] Learn about the process of ‘completing the incomplete experience’
• [0:08:41] How chronic dysregulation can lead to long-term illness
• [0:14:40] Sarah shares her story of autoimmune disease
• [0:18:52] Moment-to-moment psychosomatic symptoms and how they manifest
• [0:22:52] Anticipatory anxiety, its impacts, and the drivers behind burnout
• [0:27:16] Find out how recovery time is affected by chronic dysregulation
• [0:31:01] Practical steps to overcoming chronic pain and illness
• [0:39:32] Question 1: Why women tend to suffer more from autoimmune conditions
• [0:53:06] Question 2: How we become disconnected from our bodies and how to fix it
• [1:05:20] Question 3: Ways to overcome physical pain and discomfort

Build a toolbox for regulation inside Nervous System Essentials:

Ready to make tangible shifts in your life? Sarah’s brand NEW introductory course, Nervous System Essentials, will equip you with science-backed tools to regulate your nervous system, so that you can experience more freedom and ease in your daily life.

And for a limited time, you can join for only $47!

bit.ly/sp-nse

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community: bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram — instagram.com/sarahbcoaching

Website — sarahbaldwincoaching.com

Submit a Question:

sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

How to Gain Control Over How You Feel

Understanding Healthy Aggression and How Unprocessed Anger Becomes Internalized

Have you struggled with where to begin when looking for a therapist? Or maybe you’ve started working with a mental health professional, but you’re worried they might not be the best fit? Finding support is a vital part of healing, but it can often be a confusing or even daunting process. This episode of You Make Sense was created as a trauma-informed guide to help you know what to look for in a therapist or practitioner.

Sarah explains the two most important qualities a professional needs to embody in order to support others. You’ll learn what truly sets a practitioner apart, the red flags that signal caution, and the qualities you should look for when selecting someone. Sarah reminds us how deeply complex healing work is and the importance of finding a practitioner who is trauma-trained. If you’re feeling lost when it comes to seeking support, this episode will empower you with the tools and knowledge to find the right person for you.

Episode Highlights: keep them short and to the point

• [00:00] Healing starts with finding the right support
• [02:08] 2 things that make a practitioner good at what they do
• [07:33] Red flags to look out for in practitioners
• [21:23] The concept of energy wells and what it means
• [23:43] What to look for in a therapist or practitioner
• [36:55] Question 1: Knowing when you’ve hit your trauma vortex
• [42:58] Question 2: Tending to your nervous system in parts
• [47:07] Question 3: Plant medicine in therapeutic work

RSVP to Sarah’s FREE Live Training + Q&A Series:

Ready to take the next step with nervous system healing? Join Sarah for “Unlock the Life You Desire,” a 2-part somatic healing series to help you experience more joy and aliveness, and step toward the purpose that’s calling you.

Click below to save your spot (limited time replays available!):

http://bit.ly/sp-live-training

Navigating Your Nervous System is NOW ENROLLING:

Wanting to work with Sarah in a live capacity? The doors are now open to her 6-week live program, Navigating Your Nervous System, designed to help you get into the driver’s seat of your experience and start feeling better on a daily basis.

Click below to learn more:

bit.ly/sp-nyns

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram — instagram.com/sarahbcoaching

Website — sarahbaldwincoaching.com

Submit a Question:

sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Romantic love has a way of poking at our deepest wounding. Even when life feels steady elsewhere, intimacy can trigger reactions that don’t feel like our true selves. Sarah explains that this is often the work of our parts — younger versions of ourselves that carry past trauma and coping strategies — and that these parts can show up most strongly in our closest relationships.

In this episode of You Make Sense, Sarah explores how vulnerable, protective, and self-like parts shape the roles we play with partners, from caretaking to perfectionism. She shares how these patterns are often rooted in childhood experiences and why they can make intimacy feel both desirable and threatening. With somatic insights and practical tools, Sarah shows how to reparent younger parts, anchor into the adult self, and create relationships that feel authentic and safe.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00] Identifying the parts of us that show up in romantic relationships
• [01:41] How parts form through overwhelming or traumatic experiences
• [06:08] Why parts show up most strongly in romantic partnerships
• [09:51] Three categories of parts: vulnerable, protective, and self-like
• [10:48] How protective parts protect vulnerable parts
• [14:23] Self-like parts: how they mimic adult selves and feel rational
• [17:25] Learning to distinguish your adult self from younger parts
• [28:19] Tools to anchor into your adult self in relationships
• [29:50] Exercises to see your partner clearly and take in the good
• [34:21] The importance of reparenting your parts
• [34:51] How to repair after conflict and name adult vs. younger needs
• [37:48] Question 1: Working with caretaker protector parts in relationships
• [53:15] Question 2: Attraction challenges when seeing your partner’s child parts
• [01:08:07] Question 3: The role of your nervous system in letting go of long relationships

RSVP to Sarah’s FREE Live Training + Q&A Series:

Ready to take the next step with nervous system healing? Join Sarah for “Unlock the Life You Desire,” a 2-part somatic healing series to help you experience more joy and aliveness, and step toward the purpose that’s calling you.

Click below to save your spot (limited-time replays available!):

bit.ly/sp-live-training

Navigating Your Nervous System is NOW ENROLLING:

Wanting to work with Sarah in a live capacity? The doors are now open to her 6-week live program, Navigating Your Nervous System, designed to help you get into the driver’s seat of your experience and start feeling better on a daily basis.

Click below to learn more:

bit.ly/sp-nyns

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community - bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram — instagram.com/sarahbcoaching

Website — sarahbaldwincoaching.com

Submit a Question:

sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast