Welcome back to The Don't Cut Your Own Bangs Countdown: Best Lessons of the Year — your cozy December rewind of the conversations that cracked me open, cracked me up, or came back to whisper, "Hey… you needed to hear that again."

This week we're celebrating two big themes we ALL lived through this year:
1. Learning in real time (aka: The Messy Middle)
2. The courage to say a brave, wholehearted "No"

You'll hear moments from my solo cast on "Tech Sweats" (yes, the kind where you curse at software and question your entire identity), plus one of my favorite conversations of the year with CityMom founder Janine Bobmeyer. Her story of burnout, truth-telling, and redefining success is one of those episodes you feel in your chest.

A few moments you'll hear:
• "Learning is rarely graceful. It's… sweaty."
• "A 'no' spoken from truth is always a 'yes' to something better."
• "Being in the middle of a mess doesn't mean you're doing it wrong — it just means you're in the middle."

If you want the full episodes these clips came from, you can watch them here:
• Full Jeanine Interview
• Full Solo Cast: What It Feels Like to Learn in Real Time

Please rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it truly helps grow our community and connects these conversations with people like you :)

Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0VFZulonTvaa2HIPyJa4Tq
Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-cut-your-own-bangs/id1427579922
Watch the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DontCutYourOwnBangs

Community:
Substack: https://danielleireland.substack.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielleireland_lcsw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielleireland.LCSW
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dontcutyourownbangspod

For purchase:
The Treasured Journal: https://danielleireland.com/journal
Wrestling a Walrus (Children's Book): https://danielleireland.com/wrestling-a-walrus

Free Gift for You:
https://danielleireland.com/free

Welcome back to Don't Cut Your Own Bangs — the podcast that makes big feelings feel less scary and approaching them feel possible. Today I'm joined by someone who embodies ease and joy and wants to help you do the same - La Shell Wooten, and this conversation is one you're going to feel in the best way.

We dive into the messy middle — that "What the hell am I doing?" space we all land in sometimes — and explore how to stop ditching yourself when life gets overwhelming.
Instead, we talk about how your emotions can become your emotional GPS system guiding you forward — toward ease, possibility, and joy that doesn't require heroic effort or a personality makeover.

• Why the messy middle is unavoidable (and often surprisingly useful)

• The difference between self-abandonment and self-trust

• Seeing emotions as information, not something to fear

• How to find "the next right thing" without forcing it

• The power of choosing joy — even when life is uncertain

• "Your emotions aren't obstacles — they're messengers."

• "You don't have to overhaul your life to invite joy in."

• "Sometimes clarity whispers before it ever shouts."

This episode is warm, funny, and deeply grounding — the perfect companion for your walk, your car ride, or your "I need a moment" moment.

💛 If this episode resonated, please rate, review, and subscribe. Your support helps this community grow — and it truly means the world.

https://liinks.co/lashell.wooten

Podcast on Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/0VFZulonTvaa2HIPyJa4Tq?si=JyAzazfISPWyg6I11hAylg
Podcast on Apple
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-cut-your-own-bangs/id1427579922
Watch on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@DontCutYourOwnBangs

The Treasured Journal: https://danielleireland.com/journal
Wrestling a Walrus: https://danielleireland.com/wrestling-a-walrus
Substack: https://danielleireland.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielleireland_lcsw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielleireland.LCSW
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dontcutyourownbangspod

This week on Don't Cut Your Own Bangs, I welcome back one of the most impactful guests in the show's history — Marianne Talkovski, emotional wellbeing strategist, acupuncturist, Chinese medicine practitioner, author, coach, and the creator of The Wellbeing Code.

Marianne has been one of the most trusted practitioners in my personal healing journey, and in this conversation she breaks down the deep connection between our emotions, our physical body, and how burnout and anxiety take root when we ignore what we feel.

Through her lens of Chinese medicine, emotional intelligence, and nervous-system regulation, Marianne helps us understand:

• Why regulating your nervous system is the first step to healing burnout

• How emotional suppression shows up in the body as symptoms, stagnation, and stress

• What the five Chinese elements reveal about your personality type and emotional patterns

• How to know the difference between striving from fear vs striving from wisdom

• Why travel, adventure, and stepping outside your "operating life" can spark profound clarity

• The four-part Wellbeing Code: Regulate, Rewire, Resync, Radiate

• Why belonging to yourself is the foundation for belonging anywhere else

One of my favorite quotes from the episode:
"You can't outthink your emotions. Regulation has to happen before transformation."

Whether you're recovering from burnout, craving emotional clarity, or learning how to trust yourself again — this episode will gently guide you back home.

Website: https://mariannewellbeing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianne_talkovski
Marianne's Books: https://mariannewellbeing.com/books

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DontCutYourOwnBangs
Website: https://danielleireland.com
The Treasured Journal: https://danielleireland.com/journal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielleireland_lcsw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielleireland.LCSW
Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-cut-your-own-bangs/id1372599664
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2b7Ybj9RbM3c3Lh56N3D2G

Please rate, review, and subscribe — it helps the show reach more people who need this work. And as always, thank you for being here. You belong here.

Welcome back to Don't Cut Your Own Bangs — the podcast that makes big feelings feel less scary and approaching them feel possible.

In this week's episode, I sit down with Jessica Fein, author, storyteller, and self-described reluctant grief expert. Jessica's story is both heartbreaking and life-affirming. After losing her two sisters and her teenage daughter, Dalia, she discovered that the greatest act of love we can offer is to say the name and share the story.

Together, we explore how grief transforms us, how to stay connected to the people we've lost, and how storytelling can bring light to even the darkest seasons of life. This episode is an invitation to soften your heart toward your own pain and let love — not fear — lead the way.

1. Saying their name is sacred. It honors both memory and love.

2. Grief and joy can coexist. Healing isn't about "getting over it" — it's about learning to live alongside it.

3. Creativity helps us find joy again. Making something — a story, a meal, a moment — reconnects us to life.

4. Connection begins with honesty. You don't have to fix someone's pain to be present for it.

📖 Breathtaking: A Memoir of Family, Dreams, and Broken Genes → https://jessicafeinwrites.com/breathtaking

🎙 I Don't Know How You Do It → https://jessicafeinwrites.com/podcast

✍️ The Writer Salon → https://writers-salon.mn.co/

💌 Jessica's Survival Kit → https://jessicafeinwrites.com/resources

📘 The Treasured Journal: danielleireland.com/journal

🐧 Wrestling a Walrus: https://danielleireland.com/wrestling-a-walrus

🌐 danielleireland.com
📸 Instagram
📺 YouTube

If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who might need it today. Because love doesn't end when life does — and sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is say the name and tell the story.

Welcome to Don't Cut Your Own Bangs — the podcast that makes big feelings feel less scary and approaching them feel possible.

I'm Danielle Ireland, LCSW, and today's episode is your Stress Reset: Holiday Boundaries and Presence — your one-stop, low-stress recap of my five-part series Put Down the Panic: A Kinder Guide to Stress.

Think of this episode like a cozy audio love note — equal parts humor, heart, and a gentle nudge to slow down before the chaos of the season pulls you under.

I'm walking you through:
- Why exhaustion isn't laziness (it's a signal, not a flaw).
- What burnout really looks like — and how to catch it before it pulls you under.
- The power of saying "no" kindly (and why that's a gift to everyone).
- How to turn down the volume on stress when life gets too loud.
- And why your body's signals are the wisest holiday planner you have.

Together we'll laugh, breathe deeper, and hopefully feel seen — because no, you're not the only one who's almost cried during family photos or used caffeine as a coping mechanism.

🎁 Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
• The Treasured Journal — 7-part guided journal + meditations for self-reflection
• Wrestling a Walrus — a children's book for little people with big feelings
• Free Meditation Bundle — 3 calming tracks to ground you when things feel too heavy

If this episode helped you breathe a little easier, share it with a friend who's "powering through." And remember — the magic of the holidays isn't something you create; it's something you allow yourself to feel.

Connect with me:
📺 YouTube: @DontCutYourOwnBangs
🌐 Website: danielleireland.com
📸 Instagram: @DontCutYourOwnBangs