Debbie Harrell grew up learning that the safest way to move through life was to stay quiet, responsible and unnoticed. In a home marked by emotional abuse and instability, she found refuge in school, work, friendships and the private space of her bedroom.

Those early lessons followed her into adulthood. Debbie began recognising familiar dynamics in her relationships, while continuing to rely on hard work, independence and being useful to others. A spontaneous move to Catalina Island eventually gave her something different: a close-knit community, a place to raise her children and a stronger sense of belonging.

However, a succession of events placed enormous pressure on that stability - loss, health and surviving the Route 91 mass shooting in Las Vegas.

At first, she continued doing what she had always done: working, caring for others and carrying on. It was only later, after meeting with a PTSD specialist and eventually taking medical leave, that she began to recognise how much trauma she had accumulated long before the shooting.

In this candid and often humorous conversation, Debbie discusses:

• Growing up with emotional abuse and learning to stay small
• Finding belonging and raising her children on Catalina Island
• Repeated relationship dynamics and the effects of earlier experiences
• Losing her mother and grieving what their relationship had never been
• Serious health complications during what she calls her “year of suck”
• Surviving the Route 91 mass shooting and its lasting effects
• Losing her cousin to alcohol addiction
• Recognising accumulated trauma and finally taking medical leave
• Rethinking work, productivity and identity during the pandemic
• Moving into coaching, podcasting and peer support
• Questioning accepted ideas of what is “normal”
• Using practical grounding tools for anxiety and negative self-talk

Debbie’s story is not defined by one traumatic event. It is about accumulation: how childhood experiences, relationships, grief, health, work and sudden crisis can build upon one another, and how their impact may only become clear years later.

It is also about community, humour and learning that continuing to function is not always the same as being well.

About Debbie Harrell: Debbie Harrell is a resilience and intentional living expert. As founder of New World Normal, she helps values-driven women break free from self-doubt and “shoulds” to design aligned lives that inspire change in the world around them.

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Returning guest Michelle Nermerich joins me for a special episode focused on Kundalini Reiki — how she came to it, how it differs from Usui Reiki, and why preparation matters when working with kundalini energy.

Michelle, a certified holistic practitioner, shares her experience with Kundalini Reiki attunements, chakra balancing, crystalline Reiki, past-life Reiki, and the different ways she uses energy work in her practice.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Michelle’s path into Kundalini Reiki
• the difference between Kundalini Reiki and Usui Reiki
• what can happen during a kundalini awakening
• why preparation, grounding, and guidance matter
• crystalline Reiki, chakra balancing, and hands-on energy work
• distance attunements and learning Reiki online
• how energy work can affect the body, emotions, and intuition
• simple ways to begin noticing energy in your own hands

This conversation is for listeners who are curious about Reiki, energy healing, or the different forms of spiritual practice available today. It offers a grounded look at Kundalini Reiki, including both the possibilities and the need for care and discernment when exploring it.

About: After a major accident and an abusive relationship, Michelle Nermerich turned her personal healing journey into a mission to empower others. As a certified holistic practitioner, she combines sound healing, Kundalini Reiki, mindset practices, and mindful movement to help clients overcome their own obstacles. Today, she is dedicated to guiding people toward deep personal growth, inner peace, and lasting transformation.

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Certified Holistic Practitioner, Michelle Nermerich joins me from Canada to talk about identity, chronic pain, domestic abuse, and the healing practices that eventually became part of her work with others.

Michelle’s story moves through several major turning points:

• growing up in a Catholic family with German heritage and being bullied because of that background
• living with undiagnosed dyslexia until the end of high school
• experiencing childhood sexual assault and later having that experience validated
• training in graphic design before a serious car accident changed what her body could manage
• moving into work as an aesthetician, then having to change direction again because of severe chemical allergies
• spending 22 years in a relationship that began with love bombing and became controlling and abusive
• living with fibromyalgia, chronic pain, medication, brain fog and PTSD
• rebuilding through movement, strength training, breathwork, meditation, sound healing, tuning forks, Reiki and neurohealth practices

Michelle also talks about how she began exploring different tools first for herself, and how those practices now inform her work with clients through sound healing, breathwork, meditation, Reiki, chakra balancing massage, and holistic aesthetics.

This conversation includes references to childhood sexual assault, domestic abuse, physical violence, suicidal thoughts, chronic pain, and alternative healing practices. Please listen with care and take what feels useful for you.

This episode is not medical advice. It is a personal story about self-trust, rebuilding, and exploring different forms of support when life, health, and relationships force everything to change.

About: After a major accident and an abusive relationship, Michelle Nermerich turned her personal healing journey into a mission to empower others. As a certified holistic practitioner, she combines sound healing, Kundalini Reiki, mindset practices, and mindful movement to help clients overcome their own obstacles. Today, she is dedicated to guiding people toward deep personal growth, inner peace, and lasting transformation.

Connect at: IG, FB, Website

We'd love to hear from you 🥰.

Support the show

✔️ Like, Comment & Subscribe
✔️ Share with someone who needs this message
✔️ Leave a review on your podcast app
✔️ Subscribe and support here or here ☕ 🙏

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