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If you’re a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)—or love one—this conversation is a deep exhale. Todd Smith, founder of True Inner Freedom and a longtime facilitator of Byron Katie’s The Work, joins Melissa to unpack what “living with an open heart” actually looks like when life gets complicated: relationships, conflict, people-pleasing, and the comparing mind. We explore Todd’s three pillars of stress management for HSPs (understanding the trait, outer work/boundaries, and inner work), how The Work turns sticky stories into spaciousness, and why transcendental meditation has been his twice-daily reset since childhood. We also touch on HSP overlaps with ADHD and rejection sensitivity dysphoria, leadership strengths like empathy and systems-level thinking, and the myth that sensitivity equals fragility. If you’re ready to move from overthinking to inner freedom—this one’s for you.

What you’ll learn

• The HSP basics (15–20% of people): depth of processing, empathy, sensory sensitivity, and why overwhelm happens
• Todd’s 3-pillar stress framework for HSPs:
  1. Understand the trait (drop self-judgment; claim your strengths)
  2. Outer work (sleep, nourishment, boundaries that are kind and clear)
  3. Inner work (question stressful thoughts with The Work; find space inside even when nothing outside changes)
• A gentle walkthrough of The Work of Byron Katie (the four questions + turnarounds) and how to keep the “stuck” part of you safe while you inquire
• Moving from conflict-avoidant to creatively resourced (why arguing with reality doubles your stress)
• People-pleasing vs. integrity (how to say no without abandoning yourself)
• Meditation as a daily “reset” and why awareness widens when attachment loosens
• HSP leadership superpowers: deep listening, pattern-spotting, and bringing opposites together

Resources & links

• Todd’s podcast: Stress Management for Highly Sensitive People (search “HSP” in your podcast app)
• HSP Stress Test (Todd): trueinnerfreedom.com (look for “HSP Stress Test”)
• The Work by Byron Katie: the four questions + worksheets (official site)
• Dr. Elaine Aron’s books on Highly Sensitive People (foundational research)
• Quote referenced: Jack Kornfield, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

About Todd Smith
Todd Smith is the founder of True Inner Freedom, a longtime facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie, and a lifelong meditator. He helps highly sensitive people move beyond fear, people-pleasing, and overthinking to confidence, clarity, and connection.

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If this episode helped, share it with one HSP in your life. Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple/Spotify so more folks can find the show.

Join the Fully Mindful Community: ✨ Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps others find the show!
✨ Stay Connected: Follow @the_fully_mindful on Instagram for mindfulness tips, breathwork insights, and more!
✨ Free Breathwork Sessions: Email me at info@thefully.mindful.com to get signed up for your first session for free of my monthly Unwind Your Mind session.

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What if the fastest way to shift your mood, your mind, and your entire state… was already built into your body?

In this 40-minute guided breathwork session that Melissa recorded Live on Instagram with The Shift, I take you through a fun, surprisingly powerful introduction to breath shapes—triangle, circle, and square—each designed to support your nervous system in a unique way.

This is not your typical breathwork session. You’ll get a dose of neuroscience, a splash of irreverent humor, and most importantly—a grounded, embodied experience that meets you where you are.

Whether you’re a floating head, a busy professional, or someone just looking to feel more human today, this session is for you.

🌀 What You’ll Experience

• Triangle breath: the superhero cape you didn’t know you needed
• Circular breath: the energy loop that loosens what’s stuck and lets it flow
• Square breath: the structured calm your mind has been begging for
• Moments of pause to reset, reflect, and return to presence
• Somatic coaching to help you feel more, not force more

🧠 Why It Works

I break down the science of conscious breathing and how different rhythms affect your autonomic nervous system—helping you move between stress, rest, and energy states with intention. It's a crash course in interoception, nervous system regulation, and the radical act of coming home to your body.

💬 Favorite Quotes from the Session

📅 Originally Recorded: September 2, 2025

🎧 Length: ~40 minutes
🎙️ Host: @thefullymindful
🎥 Presented by: @theshift.official

Catch the video replay on:
🔗 Instagram: @theshift.official
🔗 YouTube:

• IG - @theshift.com.official
• Facebook - @theshiftofficial
• YouTube - @theshift.official
• LinkedIn - @theshiftofficial
• TikTok: @theshiftofficial

THANK YOU Michael Mollura for letting us use and vibe to your amazing music!

Join the Fully Mindful Community: ✨ Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps others find the show!
✨ Stay Connected: Follow @the_fully_mindful on Instagram for mindfulness tips, breathwork insights, and more!
✨ Free Breathwork Sessions: Email me at info@thefully.mindful.com to get signed up for your first session for free of my monthly Unwind Your Mind session.

Send us a text

What if your most important growth edge isn’t in your mindset, emotions, or even your body—but in a deeper part of you that craves connection, purpose, and joy? In this conversation, executive coach and author Jules Kuroda shares the heart of her book The Innate Self: You Are More Than Your Mind, Body, and Emotions. Drawing on a career across academia, nonprofits, startups, and corporate life—with leaders from 50+ countries—Jules noticed the same exhale at the end of coaching sessions: “But what’s it all for?”

We talk about the post-COVID hunger for meaning at work, why doom-scrolling and busyness numb the very thing we’re seeking, and how to build the 8 characteristics of the innate self in everyday life. Expect practical tools, zero dogma, and stories—from refugee resettlement to boardrooms—that remind us how deeply we’re wired for connection. If you’ve felt stuck, restless, or simply curious about what lives beneath the surface of your busy life, this one’s for you.

Guest: Jules Kuroda — executive coach, author, creator of The Innate Self framework.
Find Jules: theinnateself.com • Book: The Innate Self (Amazon)

Join the Fully Mindful Community: ✨ Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps others find the show!
✨ Stay Connected: Follow @the_fully_mindful on Instagram for mindfulness tips, breathwork insights, and more!
✨ Free Breathwork Sessions: Email me at info@thefully.mindful.com to get signed up for your first session for free of my monthly Unwind Your Mind session.