Unpacking the Need for Validation in Relationships

In this podcast episode, Michelle Renee explores the profound impact that childhood experiences have on adult relationship behaviors, particularly the tendency to fight for love rather than simply receive it. This theme is essential for anyone seeking to understand their relationship dynamics and the underlying reasons for their behaviors.

Michelle shares her personal journey of recognizing how her upbringing in a highly dysfunctional and toxic environment shaped her beliefs about love and relationships. She delves into the complex reasons why we often fight for relationships rather than simply embracing the love that is offered to us. Drawing from her personal experiences, Michelle shares a recent wake-up moment regarding a situation that has been ongoing for six months. She reflects on a connection with someone who, despite the fun, laughter, and chemistry they share, is emotionally wounded from a past relationship. This episode explores the dynamics of attraction, the comfort of familiar struggles, and the importance of recognizing when to fight for a relationship versus when to allow love to flow freely.

Join Michelle as she navigates this deeply personal topic and encourages listeners to reflect on their own relationship patterns.

Talking Points:

01:16 - Personal Story and Current Situation
02:30 - Realization and Emotional Lessons
04:08 - Childhood Reflections and Conditioning
07:00 - Five Ways Childhood Affects Adult Relationships
07:00 - Mistaking Intensity for Intimacy
08:41 - Choosing Emotionally Unavailable Partners
09:35 - Hyper-Independence and Over-Giving
11:00 - High Pain Tolerance
14:01 - Proving, Performing, and Pleasing
20:04 - Learning to Receive Love
22:04 - Inner Child Work and Healing
24:01 - Weight Loss and Vitality Journey
25:04 - Living Authentically and Openly

Quotes:

"I ended up learning this huge, huge lesson from him, which is probably the reason why he was sent into my life in the first place."

"I was totally conditioned to fight for love."

"Calm love to me just feels boring to me, to be honest."

"I just realized lately that fighting for love, instead of just relaxing and understanding that I'm worthy to just receive love, means I don't have to prove anything."

"I don't need to fight for love anymore. I'm not in survival mode anymore."

"I am going to heal all this. I am going to figure this out. And I am going to celebrate every single step of the way of what has happened when I sort of let go of all of that."

Stay Connected:

Don't miss out on more inspiring conversations and stories on the Soul Wide Open podcast. Subscribe now and join us on this journey of healing, growth, and living with your soul wide open.

Connect with Michelle:

My Website

Instagram:

TikTok

VERB Media Group

Useful Resources:

Order my #1 Best -Selling Memoir Nine Days on Amazon

Soul Wide Open Podcast On Spotify

Join the Soul Wide Open FB Group

Watch our CBS/Paramount Plus Special

The Mirror of Our Experiences and The Meaning We Give Them

In this episode of Soul Wide Open, I delve into a topic that has been a significant part of my life: self-doubt. This is especially relevant now as I am about to make a major life change by relocating from California to central Texas for a 3-4 month trial run and a self-imposed creative retreat. Self-doubt is something we've all faced, and it can be deeply rooted in our childhood experiences, past failures, traumas, and societal pressures.

I discuss how self-doubt manifests in various ways, such as procrastination and imposter syndrome, and how it can make us question our capabilities and worth. However, I emphasize that self-doubt is not a life sentence but a mindset that can be changed.

Key points covered in this episode include:

• Recognizing Self-Doubt: The importance of calling out self-doubt as soon as it appears and not letting it take over.

• Taking Action: How taking small steps towards your goals can help quiet the voice of self-doubt.

• Building Self-Trust: The significance of being impeccable with your word to yourself and keeping promises you make to yourself.

• Surrounding Yourself with Positivity: The impact of having a supportive network that encourages and believes in you.

• Remembering Your Wins: Reflecting on past achievements to reinforce your capability and worth.

I share my personal journey of preparing for my move to Texas, including the self-doubt and guilt I’ve faced, and how I’ve managed to overcome these feelings by taking actionable steps and surrounding myself with supportive voices.

I leave listeners with a challenge: Identify something that self-doubt has been holding you back from and take one small step towards it today. Remember, you are enough, you are capable, and I believe in you.

Thank you for joining me on this episode of Soul Wide Open. If this episode resonates with you, please share it, like it, and subscribe. Stay open, stay brave, and remember, you are so much more powerful than your doubts.

Talking Points:

00:00:11 - Personal Connection to Self-Doubt
00:00:33 - Defining Self-Doubt
00:00:59 - The Voice of Self-Doubt
00:01:52 - Self-Doubt is Not Permanent
00:03:30 - Trauma and Self-Doubt
00:04:01 - Manifestations of Self-Doubt
00:04:23 - Imposter Syndrome
00:09:01 - Self-Doubt and Guilt
00:13:17 - Questioning the Truth of Self-Doubt
00:16:23 - Building Self-Trust
00:17:05 - Being Impeccable with Your Word
00:20:10 - From Broken Glass to Disco Ball
00:23:26 - Self-Doubt as a Human Experience

Quotes:

"Self-doubt is a mindset, and like all other mindsets, it is something that can be changed."

"Self-doubt is not the truth. It's actually a conditioned response that you're having."

"The number one way to combat self-doubt is by taking action."

"Ask yourself instead, what evidence do I have that proves that I am capable?"

"The absolute trick is making sure that you believe in yourself and that you trust yourself, even when it does show up."

"I kind of love that analogy. I am a freaking disco ball."

"Self-doubt is not a sign that you're unworthy or incapable. It's just a sign that you're human."

Stay Connected:

Don't miss out on more inspiring conversations and stories on the Soul Wide Open podcast. Subscribe now and join us on this journey of healing, growth, and living with your soul wide open.

Connect with Michelle:

My Website

Instagram:

TikTok

VERB Media Group

Useful Resources:

Order my #1 Best -selling memoir Nine Days on Amazon

Soul Wide Open Podcast On Spotify

Join the Soul Wide Open FB Group

Watch our CBS/Paramount Plus Special

Mentally Detox for a New Year: A Path to Healing and Renewal

Decluttering your mental space is essential for a successful mental detox, as it helps reduce distractions and promotes clarity.

In this eepisod eof Soul Wide Open with host Michelle Renne, she welcomes the new year with a focus on mental detoxification and emotional regulation. As 2025 approaches, she emphasizes the importance of starting the year with a quieter mind and spirit, laying the groundwork for healing and protecting one's nervous system. Michelle shares practical tools, tactics, and steps that listeners can implement immediately to declutter their minds, get rid of the negative noise, and navigate the challenges of the new year effectively. She also reflects on the tumultuous events of 2024, including her personal experiences with trauma, highlighting the emotional journey many face as they transition into a fresh start.

Join her as she guides you towards a quieter mind and a more peaceful spirit, setting the stage for a transformative healing journey in 2025.

Talkingg Points:

00:00:00 - New Year Excitement
00:01:32 - Reflecting on 2024
00:04:03 - Decluttering Your Environment
00:06:13 - Setting Intentions vs. Resolutions
00:08:10 - Creating a Release List
00:17:05 - Digital Detox
00:23:01 - Mindful Practices
00:26:34 - Nourishing Your Body
00:31:41 - Creating Vision Boards
00:35:45 - Practicing Kindness and Compassion
00:37:10 - Choosing Positive Media
00:39:00 - Embracing the Present Moment
00:41:42 - Staying Curious and Engaged

Quotes:

"We end up hanging on to so much of the noise that literally drags us down and that also literally drowns out so many of the other things in our lives that we should be paying attention to."

"When we’re distracted by clutter in our environment, whether we know it or not, or whether we realize it or not on a conscious level, we are actually distracted mentally and emotionally as well."

"I try to really set my intentions on what is meant to be."

"I truly believe with everything in me that this is what I'm meant to be doing and this is why I've come through everything that I've come through."

"Our digital footprint and our digital life is responsible for more of our mental clutter and our mental poisoning than probably anything else."

"When the stress and the tension and all of that leaves the body, guess what? It frees up the mind."

"Vision boards can be a very, very, very powerful thing and a powerful reminder for you to really be able to see what those intentions are."

"One of the best ways you can mentally detox is to stay really tapped in to practicing kindness and compassion and love."

"I savor all the moments, all the little moments, every little thing... understanding how sweet that really is."

"Stay curious. Stay engaged in this grand thing we call life."

Stay Connected:

Stay Connected:

Don't miss out on more inspiring conversations and stories on the Soul Wide Open podcast. Subscribe now and join us on this journey of healing, growth, and living with your soul wide open.

Connect with Michelle:

Website: https://michelle-renee.com

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@themichellerenee

Useful Resources:

Order Nine Days on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4acIkt1

Soul Wide Open Podcast On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/49lrveA

Join the Soul Wide Open Healing Community: www.facebook.com/groups/soulwideopen

Watch the CBS/Paramount Plus Special on Michelle & Breea's Story: https://cbsn.w

Healing Through Celebration: How I Turned a Kidnapping into a New Beginning

In this episode of the Soul Wide Open podcast, host Michelle Renee discusses the transformative power of turning traumatic experiences into moments of celebration and rebirth. Sharing her personal journey of overcoming a kidnapping and home invasion, Michelle emphasizes the importance of modeling resilience for her daughter to ensure she does not carry forward the weight of negative experiences.

With what she refers to as her 'second birthday' as a focal point, Michelle reflects on how the anniversary date of the traumatic event represents a significant turning point in her life, and not for the worse, but for growth, a renewed focus on values and prioritees, and an awakening.

Tune in as she reveals the top 10 strategies she employed to celebrate her rebirth and cultivate a positive future. Join Michelle in this inspiring conversation about healing, empowerment, and embracing life after trauma.

Talking Points:

00:00 - Turning Trauma into Rebirth
02:07 - Unexpected Journey to Turks and Caicos
05:09 - Annual Tradition: Reframing the Memory
06:07 - Teaching Resilience to My Daughter
09:06 - Choosing to Celebrate the Anniversary
10:09 - Initial Trauma and Healing Journey
11:04 - Deciding to Move Forward
12:10 - Top 10 Ways to Reframe Trauma
12:51 - 1. Acknowledge and Accept the Trauma
14:07 - 2. Seek Support
15:11 - 3. Reframe the Narrative
17:00 - 4. Engage in Healing Practices
18:58 - 5. Create Meaning
20:02 - 6. Mark the Transition
22:00 - 7. Celebrate the Growth
24:00 - 8. Share Your Story
25:38 - 9. Commit to New Beginnings
28:10 - 10. Honor the Complexity
33:39 - Grief and Gratitude Coexist

Quotes:

"I actually call it my second birthday because it was such a rebirth in my life on so many levels in so many ways that I literally can't even put those all into words."

"We were going to choose to remember the great times that we had at that house."

"We can choose to reframe and transform that experience into something really, really powerful."

"I acknowledge that this happened. I accept that this happened. What am I meant to learn? How can I grow?"

"Choosing to shift the mindset from why did this happen to me to what can I create out of this is essential to healing."

"One of the greatest gifts of all of this is that my priorities and my values and my life is filled with purpose like it's never been before."

"I decided no one's ever going to be able to blindside me with my own past ever again."

"There is so much beauty and value in people just being vulnerable and allowing themselves to connect on a deeper level."

"But when you commit to transformation, that's real change. That's real healing."

"I honor my path, all of it, because I'm still here."

Stay Connected:

Don't miss out on more inspiring conversations and stories on the Soul Wide Open podcast. Subscribe now and join us on this journey of healing, growth, and living with your soul wide open.

Connect with Michelle:

Website: https://michelle-renee.com

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@themichellerenee

Useful Resources:

Order Nine Days on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4acIkt1

Soul Wide Open Podcast On Spotify: https://spoti.fi/49lrveA

Join the Soul Wide Open Healing Community: www.facebook.com/groups/soulwideopen

Watch the CBS/Paramount Plus Special on Michelle & Breea's Story: https://cbsn.w

From Static to Clarity: Protecting Your Energy in a Content-Heavy Society

What Are You Feeding Your Soul? In today's fast-paced world, the content we consume—whether through media, music, or conversations—plays a crucial role in shaping our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. As discussed in the podcast episode, it is essential to be mindful of what we engage with, as it can profoundly affect our overall health.