Christiane [00:00:10]:

Welcome to the Happy, Healthy Hustle podcast, where we explore the intersection of health, happiness, and productivity. I'm your host, Christiane, and I'm excited to be here with you today. Plus, we have a very special guest today's joining us, Heather Murphy. And I will let her introduce herself because, of course, we are kind of like, oh, who's Heather Murphy? But I can already tell you she has an amazing insight that will help you on your journey to wellness. So let's hear it from Heather. Thanks so much for being here, Heather.

Heather [00:00:43]:

Thanks for having me. I love doing these podcasts and interviews with people, so I'm excited to share what I have going on. I am a certified Embodiment coach and trauma informed, breathwork facilitator, and I help women overcome anxiety and depression so that they can step into emotional and energetic mastery and create a life that they truly love and become authentic expressed. Really?

Christiane [00:01:08]:

What do you mean by authentically expressed? So let's maybe share that. Who's maybe looking from the outside in right now. And I'm already intrigued about those big words.

Heather [00:01:19]:

Totally. Yeah. Well, I struggled with anxiety and depression for 20 years of my life, and we all have little traumas and big traumas and all these things. There's these onion layers that come with being a human being. We sort of put these masks on, let's say. And I definitely don't know if I can consider it a little bit older or not, but whatever age I am, the time period that I grew up in, anxiety and depression was not talked about. So I had these masks on for years of my life, but then when I had my daughter, I just was done with it. I knew I needed to really recover from my mental health struggles and really just be me. I wanted to find out who am I? Because I think sometimes, and not everyone experiences this with anxiety and depression, but some people might relate to this, but there's this sort of like, people pleasing that you do because you always feel like, oh, my emotions take up so much space that I just want to be easy going. Or at least that was my story. So for me, I found that the more I really dove into what do I like, what actually makes me happy and lights me up, the happier I felt. And I felt the more my relationships improved, the more magnetic I became to attract my desires. So, yeah, wonderful.

Christiane [00:02:51]:

Yeah. There is a famous movie that's called Runaway Bride, and there's a part in the movie where he asks her, you don't even know how you like your eggs prepared in the morning. Do you remember this, Heather?

Heather [00:03:04]:

I don't remember that part, but I remember the movie.

Christiane [00:03:07]:

So she was afraid of getting married. She always ran away, and she really wasn't tuned in at all with her body, so to say. Now, in your words, she wasn't really authentically expressing who she was. And so over time, she had to figure out, how do I like mags in the morning? Do I want them this way? And then she went through and tried them all out, these different breakfast foods, until she finally found the one that really resonated with her. And now that you share with us your background, I want to know what is your superpower? If you could pinpoint one strength about who you are, and it sounds like you're on your journey of development, what do you feel is your biggest superpower?

Heather [00:03:44]:

Yeah, this was a little bit hard for me to choose, but it's right in my state, my purpose statement, too, which is like emotional and energetic mastery. I used to really, especially coming from a place of struggling with mental health, I felt like I let life's circumstances take hold of how I was going to react and everything. And so over time, practicing connection to the body and all the embodiment practices that I do, I have a big window of tolerance is what they say in psychology. I can really hold a lot of my emotions. I'm an empath. I can hold a lot of other people's emotions and I can also hold a lot of my own, where as a sensitive human, I have these stronger sensations and experiences struggling with anxiety. So not that other people don't, but if you're someone that does, you might relate to this. So, yeah, with that. And then the energetic mastery part is really about just thinking about like, we are all vibrational beings. And so I am able to really be in my body and create this different frequency that allows me to transmute the emotional discomfort that we sometimes go through as humans.

Christiane [00:05:10]:

I love it. And Heather, it reminds me, I read a book that explained there's a term for this that's called The Highly Sensitive Person. I thought when I read the book, I was like, Me, I'm highly sensitive. Because sometimes you walk into a room and you just feel you talked about this energy, you just feel there's stress in the room or vice versa. You walk in and you're like, oh, this is good. I'm feeling like there is actually a good vibe going on in this room. And you're picking up on this because you're so tuned into it, and at the same time, you're also tuned into how you react to it. So this being, this very empathetic human being that sometimes when you ask somebody, how are you doing? They're so used to saying, I'm fine, you know, when maybe they're not fine because you're more energetically tuned into feeling emotions and helping others out. So let's maybe talk a little bit about helping others out that are not doing well. So what was your own challenge, your biggest challenge in your life, and how did you overcome it?

Heather [00:06:18]:

Having a long struggle with anxiety and depression, it really just came to a head when I started dating my husband, and I knew that he was my person and I really wanted to I was having still a lot of I'd have panic attacks or I'd have these depressed days, and he's a lot more stable. I mean, he's a human being, so he still has his stuff too. But I just thought, I want to marry this person. I want to have a family with this person. And in my mind, I had such a different desire from where I was, and so it really became almost like this fitness program, although I'd hate to put it this way, because on my podcast we were talking about this idea about not punishing the body and whatnot. So it was the same thing. It wasn't like I was stepping into punishing myself for my depression or anxiety. I learned to really just hold space for what was happening to me. And so, yeah, it was really realizing that there was so much toxicity happening before we got married and everything in terms of the way my mental health was affecting our relationship, I guess. So really doing the inner work was hard because I had to look at parts of myself that I really, honestly hated, and I will say this out loud, I used to hate myself, and I really struggled with self harm, and that was kind of my big challenge, was to stop hurting myself verbally and physically. And so I did that. I haven't done that in several, several years, you know, ten years, probably. And yeah, it was it's really sad when I think back to that time sometimes, because I just she's like my little child that I look at and think, oh, you're in so much pain. But now I can hold the space for that aspect of myself.

Christiane [00:08:33]:

I love that you describe that point of vulnerability, because you're really sharing something with you that has been a really hard time in your life. So I applaud you for sharing that because I'm sure there's people in the audience that connect to this, and they might have been at the same point, so they might have friends and family that might have been there, or maybe at times in their day or in their life, they experience those dark moments too. So it sounds like coming out of it is really when you're looking back, and that struggle will always be there. I love that you described it as a child, so it's never, ever going away, but maybe you can minimize it so it's becoming like a child that you look on and you're more thinking, all right, so you're there, and I appreciate it, but I'm not you anymore. I've grown since then, and I've moved on. What do you think was the biggest factor that detached you from your anxiety?

Heather [00:09:33]:

Yeah, I mean, I feel hesitant to say detached me from my anxiety. I actually feel like it's more of I created a bigger container to hold space for it. And the first thing I teach people when we work together is safety in the body, that it's safe for you to feel you're not going to die. You don't have to do anything. You have to learn to sit with it and to be with it and to look at it, because the reason it's coming up is because you're ready to feel it. It wouldn't be there if you weren't ready for it, and it's ready to be processed and to be healed.

Christiane [00:10:12]:

Very good. I like that. It's something to where you're nearly thinking of a seed and it's germinating and it's coming up, and you don't want to just rip out the seed and say, oh, that was just a weed. Whatever. You need to actually let it grow and then admire it and think about, all right, so how can I tend to this plant and I can control it? What are the little tools that I can use to control it in its growth there, so that I'm aware about what it's doing? What are the factors that maybe make it blossom versus the factors that I may be making it not grow? Well, so that's really your self care. And I love that you have a podcast, too, that's actually a lot about self care and how you help people with this is really that you look at your own transformation and what happened, and how can you help others in reaching that same point of, I transform my life. I would love to help you transform yours as well. So who do you feel was the biggest influencer in reaching that transformation?

Heather [00:11:09]:

Yeah, it's funny, I was thinking about this before we started, and the first person that really pops up, actually, is funny, is Philippe Petite. I don't know if people know who that is, but he might because I know you're a movie watcher, and there was a documentary about him, and he is the man that walked between the twin Towers on a wire. And I am terrified of heights, and watching that movie actually gave me Vertigo. But his story just really did something in my body where I just realized that, yeah, he says this thing and I can't quote him directly because I'm terrible at remembering quotes, but basically that life is walking on the wire and that you just have to take that step out. And it just invigorated me to watch this story, and I have that on TV, and I'll just put that documentary on sometimes just to fire me up again, to be like, life is worth living. When he stepped out onto this wire, imagine the perspective that he had. It's incredible. And life is worth enjoying. It's worth living for. There's so much love and beauty and creativity to enjoy. And then it's funny because this is like a totally different kind of space, but Jen Shinjiro was like another big. You are a badass. She was so relatable to me. She just used to be this punk rock who I used to be just so such a hot mess. And I related to her so much, especially in my twenty s. And I read her book and listened to it over and over again. Because while she wasn't somebody that as far as I know, didn't necessarily struggle with anxiety and depression, but it was something where she just really overcame this certain mindset. And Mindset was a big place where I started my journey too. And then I really moved into the Embodiment work realizing that mindset is not everything. But when you struggle with anxiety and expression for years and years, you kind of get into a negative habit of having a lot of negative thoughts about yourself in life. And so mindset is a great place to start if you're just trying to figure it out. And then you can move into the Embodiment work or you can go the Embodiment route, whatever feels right or whatever is calling you. So she's a great person to listen.

Christiane [00:13:34]:

To so many amazing things. So first of all, of course I watched that movie. Man on Wire is the name of the movie. And he put up a wire. It was not legal. He basically locked doors between the twin towers. So he walked between the twin towers. And if you have never watched the movie, it is very inspiring because he basically did it against all odds. There were locked doors so you could walk from one tower to the next door. It was exceptionally windy, so safety was definitely an issue. And then there's people down on the street that look up and they're like, oh, there's somebody walking between those fin towers on a wire. But he did an amazing job. And I love how you bring this in because it's really against all odds, overcoming obstacles and just pushing yourself. There is a fear this might not work out, but overcoming that fear. And then, of course, I like Jensen sarah too. I have all of her books because what I feel she really did is she normalized anxiety and she normalized kind of like saying, all right, you are a badass. So let's just get this party started and just kind of going for it. Because as solopreneurs we need that habit. Like let's do it. Going for it.

Heather [00:14:56]:

Totally. I was just thinking her story inspired me in the sense of her solopreneur journey too, because of the way she used to kind of underpay herself and then she was just like, well, you just got to she just really talked herself through it. And also the spiritual aspect, I think I was a lot like her. I was an atheist for years because I was in such a dark place. And then she was really the one that kind of made me be like, maybe there's something to this spiritual stuff.

Christiane [00:15:34]:

And what I always think is it's great when you have moments like this in your life and you look back and you feel, all right. That movie helped me get there. The book helped me get there. So it's what my program is also called The Journey to Wellness. It's these little triggers that set you off and keep you going. It's nearly like on the fairy tale hensel and gradle. It's like little breadcrumbs that get you going from one to the next and get you moving into the right direction, because it's really just a journey to our own wellness. Well, thank you, Heather. That was so inspirational. And I'm sure that we have listeners that may want to reach out to you about your amazing work and hear more in your amazing podcast. So maybe you can share. How can we hear more or see more from you? How can we get in touch with you?

Heather [00:16:25]:

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. This was so fun to share. I hang out on Instagram a lot. It's at fortheloveofself. Got to get that dot in there. I have some offerings coming out. I have breath work and stuff. And I usually do these free breath work classes once a month so we can just share the link. I'll give that to you and people can just get on the list. So then once a month, I send a notice out saying, hey, it's time for free breath work. And that has been huge in terms of regulating my nervous system and reducing anxiety in my life. So, yeah, either send me a DM over on Instagram and I can include my email, of course, as well, if people want to email. I love emailing. Good.

Christiane [00:17:10]:

And then, of course, it's something it might just be, as you mentioned, that breath work, but it might build into something else. It's kind of like getting a snowball moving. It might lead to a bigger momentum where all of a sudden you're listening more and becoming more in tune with your body right there. Well, thank you so much for being here on the Happy, Healthy Hustle podcast. I certainly enjoyed us having you as a guest. And as always, we explore the intersection of that health, happiness, and productivity. And there are so many different facets that go into our busy life being those happy, healthy Hustlers. So I appreciated you, Heather. I appreciate the time that you took to all the viewers and the listeners. We would love to get any questions, and of course, keep hustling along. And until the next time, I would love to connect again. Thank you.

Heather [00:18:03]:

Thank you so much.

Christiane [00:18:05]:

All right, that's it for today's episode of the Happy, Healthy Hustle podcast. If you have any suggestions for future content or any feedback, please let me know. I would also love to share with you that I'm about to launch my Journey to Wellness program, and I'm sure that you as a happy, healthy hustler would love to be part of this wonderful 21 Day transformational program. It gives you some quick and easy tools that you can use at home to get your health journey started. Stay tuned, and until then, we'll catch you next time.