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n this episode of the Nearly Enlightened Podcast, I sit down with Sheena Lee Cesaroni — a U.S. Air Force veteran, psychology-educated coach, podcast host, public speaker, and mom who rebuilt her life from the ground up after trauma, PTSD, and years of hyper-independence that looked like strength on the outside but felt like constant fight-or-flight on the inside.

We get real about the empath–narcissist relationship dynamic and why it can feel like fate when it’s actually familiar nervous system wiring. Sheena breaks down the spectrum of narcissism, the warning signs behind love bombing and control, and why so many women get stuck trying to “fix” someone so they can return to the version they first met.

From overgiving to losing your identity, we map the patterns that keep repeating until you name them, take ownership, and choose something different. Because healing isn’t about blaming the past — it’s about building awareness and learning how to respond instead of react.

Then we shift into practical healing — the real, everyday work of rebuilding self-trust and creating emotional safety in your body and your relationships. We talk about nervous system regulation tools like breathwork, yoga, nature, and sound… and how consistency, accountability, and self-awareness become the foundation for secure love.

Sheena also shares what “secure” looks like in real life:
a relationship where you feel both peaceful and powerful —
where boundaries are clear, trust is steady, and interdependence becomes possible.

This conversation is for anyone who is tired of survival mode, ready to break old patterns, and willing to rewire what they believe they deserve.

Because healing isn’t about becoming someone new —
it’s about coming home to yourself and building a life that feels safe to live in.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why empaths and narcissists often collide
• The nervous system patterns behind relationship cycles
• Love bombing, control, and falling for potential
• Hyper-independence as a trauma response
• Moving from victim stories to accountability and real change
• Reacting vs. responding in conflict
• Emotional safety and secure relationships
• Daily practices that rebuild self-trust
• What secure love actually feels like in your body
• How to shift from survival mode to self-led living

Connect & Continue the Conversation

Follow and learn more from Sheena Lee Cesaroni here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheenacesaroni/

Listen to my guest appearance on:

The Mindset Radio Podcast

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

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Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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What happens when innovation disrupts tradition? When growth gets mislabeled? When leadership gets projected onto instead of understood?
In this episode, I sit down with Bizzie Gold for a raw, grounded, and nuanced conversation about evolution in the wellness world.
We open with the big question: What actually makes something a cult? And how often is that word just a placeholder for fear, projection, or discomfort with change? We explore how intense communities can be misunderstood, how mislabeling shuts down meaningful dialogue, and why sometimes what looks like a schism is simply growth in a new direction.
Bizzie shares what it was like to be branded the “antichrist of yoga” over something as small as a pelvic tuck — and how that moment became part of a much larger wave. Long before functional and somatic movement went mainstream, she was challenging tradition and asking better questions about safety, mechanics, and embodiment. We talk about what it really costs to innovate publicly — and what happens when the internet decides you’re the villain.
This conversation goes deep into leadership, boundaries, and the emotional undercurrents that fuel backlash. Splitting. Envy. Parasocial dynamics. Mob mentality. The 2019 crisis. The coordinated attacks. And the surprising number of apologies that came quietly after the storm passed.
But more importantly, we talk about responsibility.
What does it mean to lead without self-deifying?
How do you hold stewardship without trying to be a savior?
Why do conflict-avoidant leaders often get consumed by the very communities they’re trying to protect?
We unpack the real-life logistics no one glamorizes — payroll stress, messy team dynamics, clear contracts, limited bandwidth, and the power of direct communication. Bizzie brings a refreshingly honest perspective on how strong boundaries don’t harm community — they protect it.
We also explore her evolution away from traditional yoga models and toward somatic and functional mechanics that prioritize physiology, safety, and spirit-led presence. This isn’t about rejecting movement — it’s about aligning intention with impact. Honoring lineage without becoming rigid. Letting practices evolve without burning everything down.
If you’re a teacher, leader, space-holder, or simply someone committed to ethical growth, this episode will give you language and tools to:
Spot projection (in yourself and others)
Set boundaries without guilt
Lead without losing yourself
Honor tradition while allowing evolution
Stay rooted when the noise gets loud
This is a big, honest, necessary conversation about innovation, insecurity, and integrity in modern wellness.
If this resonated, share it with someone who loves nuanced conversations and bold ideas. And when you leave a review, tell me: What boundary are you committing to this week?

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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The calendar may have flipped, but our bodies and our nervous systems often need more time to catch up. In this episode, Giana is joined by Dee Doyno for a real, grounded conversation about this in-between moment: a liminal season meant for rest, reflection, and quiet seed-planting before any big goals take root.

From that steady place, we dive into the deeper layers of what’s been surfacing in the yoga world—particularly conversations around fair wages, studio cleanliness, and the true cost of holding space. We explore why so many January resolutions fall apart, and how the lunar new year and spring equinox offer a more natural, body-aligned reset than the pressure to “start over” on January 1st.

Together, we lift the veil on yoga studio economics: national brands profiting off the backs of their yoga teachers, beautiful spaces that still underpay instructors, and the often invisible labor teachers carry: planning, travel, emotional regulation, continuing education, and energetic care just to name a few. Fair pay and clean studios aren’t luxuries; they’re the foundation for sustainability, integrity, and real community. We also highlight models that are working—studios offering solid base pay with transparent incentives—proving that people-centered business can thrive.

Boundaries take center stage as Giana shares a recent classroom experience that sparked sacred rage—not as something to suppress, but as wise information when integrity is crossed. We talk about the myth that yoga teachers must be endlessly calm, the toll of overgiving, navigating “energy vampires,” and why consent, non-touch classes, and post-class regulation matter more than ever.

To ground the conversation, we share practical tools to support your practice and nervous system:

• ✨ A free Get Meditating Guide for anyone who feels overwhelmed, intimidated, or unsure where to begin with meditation
  👉 https://nearlyenlightened.com/ne-home#section-J3tusgFFGq
  
  
• 🌿 The Meditate to Elevate Guided Meditation Portal—on-demand practices for real life, messy days included
  👉 https://nearlyenlightened.com/meditate2elevate
  
  
• 🔥 A 30-Day Deepen Your Practice Challenge, rooted in the eight limbs of yoga (not just poses), designed to help you build consistency, self-trust, and embodied awareness
  👉 https://link.fgfunnels.com/widget/form/QSI9v3Dr8UpbrSxc2I4G

If you’re ready to shed old skin, stop overgiving to overtakers, and rebuild your relationship with practice in a way that actually supports your life, this episode offers a grounded path forward.

Join us in the conversation—what boundary are you drawing this season?

If this episode resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a kinder, more honest start to their year. Your support helps Nearly Enlightened continue to grow as a space for real healing, ref

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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When someone's attempt at a mean insult is exactly what you need to laugh, reframe, and reclaim your power. In this episode, I’m joined by Dee Doyno as we turn the infamous “yogi walrus” comment into a playful springboard for real conversation about body talk, wellness culture, and loosening perfectionism with a little humor. We even dive into AI roasts of our own Instagram selves—espresso auras, chaos energy, and brass-knuckle kindness included—because when you can giggle at your shadows, it makes healing a little more palatable.
From laughter, we shift into depth: exploring boundaries, non-attachment, self-worth, and the difference between forgiveness and access. We talk about transitioning from a “year nine” to a “year one,” shedding old skins, and starting fresh without burnout. We also get into yoga beyond the mat—living the eight limbs, navigating life after a 200-hour teacher training, and why mentorship and lifelong learning are game-changers for real bodies in real spaces.
Plus, we’re relaunching our 28-day yoga challenge as an accessible, daily container to rebuild rhythm, integrate breath and study, and lean on community accountability. Consider it a sneak peek of what’s coming next: deeper mentorship and a teacher training that honors lineage while supporting modern life.
If you’re craving a reset that blends heart, humor, and practice, this episode is for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who could use a loving nudge, and leave a review to help more curious humans find the show. Ready to learn from love and move forward with us?

Sign up for the challenge here!

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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In this episode, I sit down with soul led entrepreneur, busines strategist and author Justine Harrington to trace how a whisper to create a sanctuary for the soul became a living, breathing community space: Soul Sanctuary. A place for healing, movement, meditation, breath, and connectio are treated as everyday tools for coming home to yourself.
We walk right into the messy middle together—what it’s actually like to open a physical space post-COVID, shift careers, and move through healing as a spiral where old patterns resurface at deeper layers. Justine opens up about the practices that truly help in those seasons: mentorship, therapy, systems that reduce the chaos, and the courage to say no. We talk boundaries (and how they have to be relearned as you grow), leadership that doesn’t cost you your soul, and the myth of overnight success.
We also get into intuition, fear, and the art of discernment—how to feel alignment in your body as something that changes over time, and how meditation becomes practical when you treat it not as “clearing the mind,” but as watching your thoughts pass like trains and choosing which ones you’re actually getting on.
Plus, Justine shares what’s new at the studio: weekly yoga and dance classes, sound baths, breathwork, donation-based offerings like the Thanksgiving class supporting the Rhode Island Food Bank, a group mediumship event, and a 200-hour yoga teacher training on the horizon. Soul Sanctuary is becoming a true collaborative home for holistic practitioners, creative expression, and community care.
Whether you’re a founder, a creative, or someone on your own healing path, you’ll walk away with grounded, practical tools you can bring into daily life—micro-shifts, intuitive nudges, and reminders that you don’t have to do any of this alone.
If this conversation resonates, share it with someone who needs it, leave a quick review, and come be part of the community: check out the full schedule at soulsanctuaryri.com/the-studio. And if you’re curious about Justine’s book Homecoming: A Guide to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Heart, you can find it on Amazon.

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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In this episode of Nearly Enlightened, I’m joined by Danielle Manseau for a powerful conversation on the ethics of energy work — how to protect your own field, work safely with others, and create grounding rituals that keep you clear, present, and effective.
We break down spiritual hygiene in real, approachable language and share practical tools to reset between sessions — even when you can’t burn incense or light a candle. Think: visualization, water, breath, a short walk, or simply closing your laptop as a mindful boundary.
Danielle and I also unpack ethical red flags in the healing space — from pressure sales and miracle promises to practitioners who override your consent. We get honest about why credentials, trauma-informed awareness, and scope of practice matter so much in hands-on fields like massage, cosmetology, and yoga.
Discernment is the heart of this episode. We also talk about the shadow side of hype and influence — why ethical readers frame outcomes as potentials, not predictions, and how staying anchored in your truth keeps your intuition strong.
And because energy ethics also means caring for yourself, we dive into burnout, capacity, and energetic seasonality — how to schedule with integrity and do no harm while preserving your craft and nervous system.
Whether you’re a practitioner or client, this conversation offers real, embodied guidance for protecting your energy and working (or receiving) from a place of integrity.
If you’ve ever left a “healing” session feeling worse — or if you’re ready to sharpen your discernment and deepen your energetic care without the fluff — this episode is for you.
🎧 Press play, share it with a friend, and leave a review to tell us what resonated most.
Subscribe for more grounded conversations on body, mind and spirit wellness.

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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We aren't done with Life of a Showgirl yet. In this episode, I’m joined again by Marissa Rose for a real talk on sex, power, pleasure, and purpose — through the lens of Taylor Swift’s evolving eras. From Reputation and Midnights to Tortured Poets Department and Life of a Showgirl, we explore how each chapter mirrors the collective reclamation of money, sex, and power — and how to bring that energy into your own life with grounded, embodied practices.
Through the archetypes of the lower chakras, we connect the dots between rights battles, re-recordings, and personal rebirth — uncovering what it really means to lead, love, and create from a place of secure attachment and sovereignty.
Together, we dive into:
How tantra reframes intimacy as a sacred, embodied exchange
The truth about consistency, discipline, and feminine flow
Building the inner masculine that protects and empowers your feminine
Somatic tools to turn heartbreak, grief, and overwhelm into capacity
Why the new definition of “having it all” is being brave enough to slow down
This one’s for the woman building her empire and her inner peace — the one ready to rise in power without losing softness, to be fully expressed without burning out, to boss up and settle down.
If you’ve been craving a pop-culture conversation that actually deepens self-knowledge, this episode will meet you there — honest, embodied, and full of practical wisdom you can feel in your body.
Listen now and walk away with language for your current season, nervous system practices to steady your path, and permission to name what you truly want — at home, in love, and in work.
✨ Learn more about Marissa Rose and her offerings:
Your Bliss is Your Birthright — iammarissarose.com

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened

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In this episode, I am joined by Danielle of Venus Rising. Together we unpack Taylor Swift’s latest era through the lens of healing and self-discovery. We pair The Tortured Poets Department’s gray skies with The Showgirl’s bright hooks, tracing the thread that runs through love, boundaries, and the everyday practice of nervous system regulation. From the echo of The Fate of Ophelia to the quiet bravery of Wi$hLi$t, we explore how music becomes a mirror—naming our desire to be both pursued and safe, without asking us to dim our voice or vision.

We get honest about those first listens (6 a.m. “nope,” 50 mph “okay wow”), the tension between celebrity wealth and relatability, and what it means to find value in a time when so many are feeling stretched thin—financially, emotionally, and spiritually. That opens a bigger conversation about the worth of service work—yoga, hair, healing—and the difference between burnout and fair exchange. We talk about pricing as a boundary, education as investment, and the truth that care can only exist when the caregiver is cared for, too.

And because we love to zoom out, we push back on prediction culture—the obsession with what’s “meant to be.” Instead, we talk about choosing free will over fate, trading prophecies for presence, and finding tools that help us stay grounded in our own becoming.

If you’re in a season of revisiting old patterns—reaching out to exes to rewrite rejection, running when staying would heal—we walk through gentle, embodied practices to help: slow movement, breath-led resets, and mini-pauses that teach the body what safety feels like. We also talk about the courage it takes to communicate clearly, the fear of being misunderstood or “canceled”.

If this conversation speaks to you, follow Nearly Enlightened, share it with a friend who needs a little hope today, and leave a review—what lyric or moment hit you hardest?

To find out more about Break Method click here.

Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.

Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.

Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened