Stillness & Somatic Practices for Avoiding Burnout

Are you craving calmness but struggling to slow down? Hero and Yoga Instructor Nicole Kim explores how stillness, movement, and rest work together to restore our bodies and nervous systems. With compassion and lived wisdom, Nicole shares the ways modern women are pushed into overdrive and taught to equate worth with output — and how we can begin to rewire that conditioning, one quiet moment at a time.

From yoga nidra and yin to Thai bodywork and beach naps, this episode offers tangible practices and gentle permission slips for women who feel stuck in “go mode.” 

What You Will Learn

• [00:08:18] Why women often resist stillness and associate it with discomfort or unworthiness
• [00:09:30] How “glimmers” — short, intentional breaks — help busy women ground and reset
• [00:11:30] Why meditation can feel selfish — and how to reframe that belief
• [00:17:00] How yin yoga uses discomfort to create space and emotional release
• [00:18:00] What yoga nidra is — and why it’s powerful for trauma recovery and deep rest
• [00:22:13] How movement-based yoga builds a bridge to stillness for those who “can’t sit still”
• [00:24:37] Why sound healing is so effective for calming the mind and regulating the body
• [00:27:30] How Thai bodywork offers a moving meditation for people with anxious minds

Let’s Connect!
Follow The Healing Heroes on Instagram & LinkedIn.

Nicole Kim

Website

Chandler Stroud

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Mixing and editing provided by Next Day Podcast.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Chandler Stroud: Hey guys, it's Chandler and welcome to The Healing Heroes.

I'm Chandler Stroud, an executive wife and busy mom of two who after years of living with anxiety. Health struggles and an unshakeable feeling like I should be happier, made a profound discovery that changed everything. Join me on a journey where unexpected paths lead to healing and more happiness. On this show, we will explore [00:00:30] unconventional ways to unlock more joy in your own life with the help of my very own healers.

And trusted advisors, the healing heroes.

Hey everyone. Thank you for tuning in to the Healing Heroes podcast. I'm your host Chandler, and I'm thrilled to be back with Hero Nicole today to talk about stillness as a superpower, especially when so many of us are feeling [00:01:00] overwhelmed. It's certainly a time when many of us are more susceptible to burnout and stress, not just in light of everyday to-do lists or work deadlines.

Also in light of recent events and the current news cycle, it's been a lot for anyone to digest on top of our already busy schedules. So I'm excited for this timely conversation with Hero Nicole, that we'll focus on the Power of Pause, and Nicole is the [00:01:30] perfect guide for this conversation because she helps women return to their bodies.

Their breath and their inner knowing through three beautiful healing tools, yoga. Sound and the touch of Thai body work. You may be surprised to learn that there are a wide variety of yoga practices that support this kind of slowness or deliberate stillness. So I'm looking forward to having Nicole share more about these [00:02:00] purposeful practices today.

I've introduced Nicole before on the show, but here's a brief overview of her background for new listeners. Nicole is dedicated to holistic healing with her own journey, centering around the fusion of yoga, Thai body work, and the transformative power of energy and sound healing through the mindful integration of yoga postures, the therapeutic touch of time massage, and the resonant frequencies of energy and sound.

She aspires to guide [00:02:30] individuals to self-discovery and holistic wellbeing while creating a space where both the body. And spirit find restoration and balance. Welcome back, Nicole. Thank you for being here with us today. 

[00:02:42] Nicole Kim: Nice to see you, Chandler. I'm so happy to be here. 

[00:02:45] Chandler Stroud: Well, we are always excited to have you.

I love our conversations. We learned so much from our previous discussions on presence and the art of each of the practices that you are an [00:03:00] expert in. So today I'm excited to weave these practices into the conversation on deliberate stillness and the power of pause, which at the outset you and I were talking about, is something that feels very timely personally for both of us as we've had a very hectic.

Month and start to summer. Nicole, to kick us off, I'd love to understand from your perspective and experience with clients, why do you think stillness feels so unfamiliar or even uncomfortable [00:03:30] for the modern day woman? 

[00:03:31] Nicole Kim: Yeah, so I, I think that it's challenging because. We're so busy in our lives. We're so busy managing it all.

We're managing our relationships. We're managing our families. We're managing our career. We have so much expectation and pressure on us that sometimes the stillness seems like a luxury. Like, I'm not worthy of this now because there's so many people that need me, or there's so many things that I need to do.

So that's one part that we could dissect. [00:04:00] But then there's also the avoidance of arriving in stillness. If I arrive in stillness, then I'm forced to feel I'm forced to be present with the reality of what's going on in my life, baby. I'm not happy about something and I'm avoiding it, and I'm masking it by being busy and moving so quickly.

Or maybe it's unfamiliar. Because I'm afraid to feel a deep emotion that I've been avoiding that's been living within my body for generations, [00:04:30] and it feels scary. So I feel more anxious to keep moving because I don't wanna feel that emotion. So all of those things are just. So important for us to take a pause and to come back into our experience and know, one, I'm safe to feel, I'm ready to feel.

I am worthy of this time to be restful and slow down. I need this in my life and this will better enhance my relationships with [00:05:00] my family. I will be more productive at work. I will be a better parent if I have children. All of those. Things because we need to nurture that inner child. We need to nurture that inner self and provide that space for ourselves.

Otherwise, we have burnout. And oftentimes we're moving so quickly that the body will then go into, you know, I'm gonna get sick, I'm gonna get a cold, I'm gonna, and then now all of a sudden I am. Present, and I'm pausing and I'm nurturing myself, but if I had given [00:05:30] myself that time and that space, then maybe I wouldn't be sick right now.

And so when we look at it that way as preparing ourselves for longevity, that it's the most helpful thing that we could do for ourselves. 

[00:05:42] Chandler Stroud: I love your answer for so many reasons, but. Specifically the fact you dissected it into two key areas of focus. One being the proving your worth through keeping busy and productivity, because that's so ingrained in us.

I [00:06:00] don't know that we realize that that's what we are doing. Yeah, most of the time. Yeah. And then the piece of. Running from or distracting yourself from feeling something that's there. Because I think in my experience I was always this like, I need to overachieve, I need to do, I need to take every minute of the day and be productive to optimize my time and like be more efficient.

And that just was the mindset. But I don't think I realized, one, that it was coming from a place of earning worth or two, [00:06:30] that I was using it as a distraction to not face what stillness meant. For me, and I don't know that women realize that. I think that's such a hard thing to come to terms with. 

[00:06:41] Nicole Kim: Yeah, it is.

It, it absolutely is. And it's not until you arrive in stillness that you're able to start to acknowledge, oh, this is what I've been doing. So it's that career change and I have this calling to no longer be in this industry. I wanna make a change. And that slow down and resistance to finding the [00:07:00] new job.

Maybe that's where you're discovering. Wait a minute, have I been running? My entire life, and I'm not jumping into this new career, I'm finding that it's, it's hard to motivate because I have to now listen to myself in the way that I've never done before. And so it's not being avoidant, it's just nurturing yourself and finally creating that space.

But it takes a moment to pause, so where you can start to notice these patterns. Wait, when have I ever had a break in between careers or cha, you know, and when have I ever had this [00:07:30] opportunity? I'm thinking of a very specific client of mine who is incredibly successful and she built this empire is not just one multiple, and she knew it was time for her to, to stop and just take a break and.

Kept getting more opportunities coming her way, but she had this resistance to it, but yet she's moving her body so much and she's not able to find stillness and, and I asked her, what are you running from? And she's like, I've been [00:08:00] running my whole life. And she's been so successful and created all these incredible businesses.

But now it's time for her to focus inward, and I know I can see for her, she has such an incredible future ahead of her. I think the next big step will be bigger than anything that she's done before, but this will be like important for her in her own journey. Versus like serving other people. And that's the change.

And so as she discusses what she's [00:08:30] going through right now, it's, I can't get motivated. I am, you know, feeling lazy and I don't understand. And it's like your body just needs a minute to slow down and to process. And then once it feels right, then you'll be ready to kick into gear. But all of that is so unfamiliar and I don't think it's, this story is exclusive to her.

I hear the story with so many people. 

[00:08:53] Chandler Stroud: Yeah, I bet you do. And I wanna get back to that, some of the signs or signals that Yeah, women listeners [00:09:00] can recognize in their own life that might be telling them it's time to pause or slow down first, though. I'm curious, how has your personal relationship with stillness evolved over time?

Can you tell us a little bit about your journey with it? Yeah, 

[00:09:16] Nicole Kim: yeah. It's, I know it's hard. Being a yoga teacher, a healer, it, it's, it's everything that I do, it's what I teach, and I have to be authentic to what I'm teaching. So I need to encompass that into my own [00:09:30] life, right? Life is challenging. I'm a single mom.

I have my kids. 90% of the time. So I'm in it by myself and I'm also running a business by myself. And so to find that balance is incr. I, I, I can't even lie. Like it is incredibly challenging and so I don't have. Blocks in every day. But what I do have are glimmers. And so these are like the little pockets of time where I have 30 minutes [00:10:00] between seeing someone or picking up my kids that I'm gonna close my eyes and I'm gonna meditate and I'm gonna ground.

I'm gonna find that stillness in these like little moments of time. I might not have a full weekend to go do something. I might not have a full day, but I have to encompass it in my daily routine so that I can. Find that balance. And there are times when you know, your days are so packed and you know you're okay, today's gonna just be really hard.

So I'm gonna wake [00:10:30] up in the morning and I'm gonna do that meditation and that self-talk, and I got this, I'm gonna get through it. And, and then the next day, then I know that that was so hard for me. I'm gonna build in a little bit more time to find that balance. So maybe I'm gonna take a bath that day and you know, have a longer meditation or fit in.

My own personal practice at home, and maybe I can't get to a class because I'm running around meeting with people everywhere, so I need to build that in for myself. So it just takes a little bit more discipline. To build that structure [00:11:00] in. But it is possible. It absolutely is possible. And it's a commitment.

It's, you know, I need that in order to stay grounded and to be authentic and to do the work that I do. I can do it. Anybody can do it. Because balancing so much it's hard. Yeah, 

[00:11:14] Chandler Stroud: you are. And it is so hard. 'cause it's like to pause and just take time to yourself feels like. I don't know, like the sense of I should be using this time more wisely.

Mm-hmm. Like it feels selfish to use it for me, and am I [00:11:30] really getting as much out of it than if I go do that load of laundry that's gonna hang over my head for two days if I don't just bang it out now. Yeah. But like. I don't know. It's hard to weigh those trade offs sometimes, but that's also why we talk on the show.

Why I love sound healing so much. Yeah. 'cause it really is a permission slip. You commit, you go and you are there with other women surrounded by a community also in stillness. And one of the reasons, I just love that practice so much. 

[00:11:55] Nicole Kim: Yeah. And I find, you know, when you have those little moments. It's almost more [00:12:00] effective to not be in your house.

So say you're, you know, you have an hour break if you, you're not in your house, like where we live, we have the beach, right? And so I'll drive to the beach and I'll sit on the beach and I'll have that minute, 30 minutes, 20 minutes, it doesn't matter what, at five minutes to just sit around water and here at the waves and feel the wind and, you know, taken all the senses.

And it's such an incredibly powerful reset. So if you don't have the beach, you could have a river, you [00:12:30] could have a lake, you could have something outside a park and just take a few minutes to close your eyes and just ground. And that reset is so powerful. So it's not about dedicating an entire day, it's just finding the stillness.

It's finding these moments, these glimmers. To manage all of this stuff that's going on around us to you Find these little pockets of time and then you can create that balance. 

[00:12:56] Chandler Stroud: Well, and I love how intentional you are about finding a space [00:13:00] that really maximizes that time too. Yeah. I mean, I think to your point, do it anywhere you can if you only have five minutes, but to get outside, feel the sun on your face, the wind in your hair, right?

Yeah. Like a park bench outside on your back stoop, whatever it is. I think really like cultivating an environment that. Brings you that kind of peace. Yeah, I can see how that would be a powerful reset. Midday, 

[00:13:23] Nicole Kim: it's so powerful. There was one day I was just feeling so off and again, it was coming off of a really busy week [00:13:30] and, and maintaining that energy and I did have about 20 minutes and I went to the beach and I laid down and I actually felt.

Sleep, which is something that I would never do, but I fell asleep because all, you know, taking in the sounds of everything and, and the smells and it was just so therapeutic and it was a very quick little, you know, fall asleep situation and then wake up and, and I felt so restored and balanced and grounded just from that very, very small little pocket of.

Rest. [00:14:00] 

[00:14:00] Chandler Stroud: I mean, I am not a napper, but a 1520 minute power nap in the middle of the day is like the ultimate reset for me. Right best. It's the absolute best. Yeah. Yeah. When I need it, I need it. Yeah. Do you see any patterns or general themes among your clients in terms of what they are trying to outrun or move toward in their lives?

[00:14:21] Nicole Kim: I, I think it varies in a similar to your story of. Having high expectations of yourself, right? It can [00:14:30] be, well, I can do better, I can do better, I can do more. And you know, professionally it's that that's the driver. There are some where it's fear-based. You know, if I don't do this, this could happen. So I, I have to push myself because otherwise.

There on the other side of it could be danger and, and that, you know, financial or whatever it may be. And so that's the driver. I think in general it's, it's really having really high expectations of [00:15:00] yourself and, you know, in the community that we're in, that is a very common theme among people and. We have it within ourselves.

We were raised that way. We have it with our children and, and all the activities, and there's just it. There's a lot of stress involved with that. And so the stillness part, although it's so important from a whole scientific perspective as well as in a conversation, [00:15:30] but I don't know if it's as widely received yet.

People aren't understanding how important that truly is, and so it's the. The push, push, push and then the burnout, and then that's when they realize, oh my gosh, I should have done all of these things. And so I'm so happy to be having this conversation now to. Really push the importance of finding that balance in our daily life so that we don't have to arrive at that burnout, so that we don't have to have that anxiety [00:16:00] and, you know, take the medications and do the things to mass all the feelings so that we can feel safe to just be and feel good about that.

[00:16:08] Chandler Stroud: Nicole, you've now introduced me to a wide variety of yoga practices that I didn't even realize existed, if I'm being honest. Yeah, specifically Thai body work, which I didn't know at first, was a type of yoga, and then more recently yin yoga. What makes Yin different from other styles, and why is it so powerful for creating [00:16:30] stillness?

[00:16:30] Nicole Kim: Yeah. Yin is is a restorative practice, and in yin you do anywhere from 10 to 15 poses that you hold from anywhere from three to five minutes. And so you're put into hip opening poses, so you're on the ground and you're holding them for an extended period of time. And so when you arrive in a pose like that.

You initially can feel resistance. You feel the tension, but the point of it is to sit in that [00:17:00] discomfort and find space in that discomfort. So as you connect with your breath, you use your props, your muscles start to soften, and then you create more space and it becomes more comfortable. And so it's such a powerful practice.

A lot of people have big emotional experiences and expressions in that practice because they're forced to be in stillness. So you're not just laying down in a medi or seated in a meditation or laying [00:17:30] down in Shavasana, you're, you're seated in an active pose. But you're approaching it in a restorative capacity 'cause you're holding it longer.

[00:17:39] Chandler Stroud: Nicole, I loved doing yoga nidra with you last fall, and I think for listeners who are looking for even more stillness. Mm-hmm. Can you just quickly overview what that yoga practice entails? 

[00:17:52] Nicole Kim: Well, yoga Nidra is a meditation that I lead and nidra in Sanskrit is yogic. [00:18:00] And so in Yoga Nija, you are lying on your back and you are in a very passive space.

What you're doing, or what the facilitator would be doing is guiding their students through their body, so you're no longer thinking or doing, but you're being guided through your physical body so that the mind isn't wandering, you're still very present. And you're feeling all the sensations. And so this meditation brings you into an altered state of [00:18:30] consciousness.

It's like a level between wakefulness and sleep, and it's incredibly powerful and there's so many studies and scientific backing on the effects, the positive effects of this practice. If you, you know, somebody who has had trauma or sleep issues, it brings you into such a restorative space that you.

You generate the benefits of having a deep restful sleep in a short meditation. So that in itself is, is really powerful. But [00:19:00] when it comes to trauma, it's even more powerful because our bodies hold onto trauma. So we can process things intellectually, emotionally. Think that we've moved through it, but our bodies will hold onto that energy.

And so when you are guided through your body, you'll experience tension maybe in your chest or your belly, and now you're exploring it. And so that trauma might come up, maybe or maybe not. Maybe you [00:19:30] just see it as a sensation. And you breathe into it and it's all about non-attachment, just observation and allowing it to move.

And by doing that, then you're clearing your body, you're restoring your body, and you're becoming balanced. So it's, it's my favorite meditative practice. I love it. I love teaching it. And I've just seen such incredible results among people from that practice with nidra specifically. Is so [00:20:00] effective with the busy mind, right?

Mm-hmm. It's so effective because you're being guided through your body that you can't be in the story. And so it's that looping mind. It's that monkey mind, and what we wanna do in finding any kind of stillness is disrupting that mind. We wanna disrupt the circle, the cycle. And, and arrive somewhere else.

And if that's just a moment, or 10 minutes or an hour that is so effective and you wanna bring in what is it that [00:20:30] you need. And so in Yoga Nidra, because you're being guided through your body, I find that it's. Probably the most accessible for a person who says, meditation is so hard for me. I can't, I can't find that stillness.

I can't find that quiet, and it's a great place to start your meditation journey. Is being guided through your body and yoga nidra. 

[00:20:57] Chandler Stroud: I love that. 'cause we do talk a lot about the [00:21:00] accessibility of meditation, especially for the modern day woman. Yeah. On the show. Yeah. I mean that's acupuncture sound healing.

Many of the ways I was able to finally, I. Do it and feel like I was doing it correctly, but yoga nidra, I absolutely can see how that would be a great place to begin if you've had trouble in the past with meditating. 

[00:21:19] Nicole Kim: Yeah. 'cause you, you're stuck in the story of the mind and you brought into the physical body and you're observing sensations.

And so if you're. Detached, which happens to [00:21:30] us a lot. It brings you in. And now I'm very present and aware of my body. I'm feeling things I didn't even know were there. I'm feeling good things, I'm feeling weird things, and, but whatever it is, I'm out of the story of the mind. I'm giving myself that break, and it's so restful.

And then you're connecting deeper with yourself where you're able to find that clarity that maybe you didn't have before, and you're able to have compassion and, and love for yourself like that. Was probably the most effective way where I was able to come into that [00:22:00] self-love and that connection for, for myself was through this Yoga Nira practice.

[00:22:04] Chandler Stroud: I love that. Thank you for sharing that. For someone who says, I can't sit still, what's a good place to start with yoga specifically? 

[00:22:13] Nicole Kim: Well, yoga specifically would be movement. Movement for sure. And coming into a hot class, a power class, you are, it doesn't matter if you can't sit still 'cause you're not gonna be sitting still, you're going to be moving.

But the difference of that versus a cardio [00:22:30] workout is that you're connecting with your breath and your body and so you're feeling, and it ends up being more of a, a movement meditation. That's a great transition to then get you set up for actual meditation, and once you're able to discover that breath, you feel your body, and now you're going into meditative practices, and Yoga Niro would be the perfect place to start.

Absolutely. Because it takes you outta that mind into your body, [00:23:00] feeling more, experiencing learning without attachment. We have a lot of personalities. It's, you know, in, in Ayurvedic terms, it's the Pitta personality. So it's this type A, it's this move really fast and a lot going on and, and so when they come to practice at the studio that I work in.

I don't think most of them are coming in looking for mindfulness and meditation. They wanna work out and that's why they're coming into a hot yoga class. But once they start [00:23:30] practicing and they start to notice these things in their body, or to have these emotional connection and experience, that's when they start to be open to the other offering.

Because they're seeing, oh my gosh, wow, there's so much to this. I wanna dive in. And so I wanna get them in. I want to challenge them and their bodies, but also integrate the philosophy, integrate mindfulness, breath, all those things, and get them excited. So then they're ready to go into meditation. 

[00:23:59] Chandler Stroud: I love that [00:24:00] answer because it's so counterintuitive.

It's, yeah, you have women who can't sit still. You tell them to move, but in a very intentional, purposeful way that serves as a bridge to getting to stillness. Yeah, so I think that's a very cool way and a surprising way to think about it. Yeah, so thanks for sharing. Mm-hmm. Nicole, you often use sound healing as well as a tool for rest and nervous system regulation since it involves lying still and letting the sound work through your body [00:24:30] energetically.

Why does sound make it easier for some women to access deep rest? That silence does not. 

[00:24:37] Nicole Kim: Because it gives you a physical sensation in your body. It actually, you hear, you know, through one year, it's like, wah, like it, the sounds move and it's interesting and you're following it and you're, you're exploring each, you know, depending on the sound.

But for me, I, I offer a lot of different healing modalities. So there's a, there's a lot going on within that experience and you [00:25:00] respond to it differently and, and with each tool that you use. And so people. With the busiest minds can find this stillness that they couldn't ever achieve before because it's just so interesting and it's so interesting in what you're hearing, what you're feeling in your body.

You have physical sensation and it's incredibly grounding, and so it's hard to be caught in this. Story of your mind because you're [00:25:30] feeling things physically and you're hearing things, and so it's just a, an incredibly powerful full body experience that, you know, is so helpful to many. And I don't know if you can find that within just, I guess you can within a silent space, but it's just been a very effective.

Approach. 

[00:25:49] Chandler Stroud: I agree. It's an effective approach. For me, it was one of the things that I felt really helped elevate my ability to meditate. Mm-hmm. Because it gave me something else to [00:26:00] focus on, but got me in the state again, I always say like just getting there and accessing that state. Yeah. Between sort of wakefulness and sleep is.

Really helpful 'cause it's like training a muscle. It just becomes easier to get there again when you try to go back. And now I can actually just sit and meditate, whereas I don't, I just didn't believe I was doing it right before 'cause it felt too simple or like I was too, in my mind still and, and so I think sound healing has been a great bridge [00:26:30] for me in that regard.

[00:26:31] Nicole Kim: Yeah. But in your explanation that that is a common that. That is a common response that most people have. I'm not a good meditator, or it's hard for me, or I'm not doing it right, or I'm not doing it well. There, there's no right or wrong, and every day is different. So some days you have a great meditation, other days it's like almost impossible.

Mm-hmm. And it's just based on where you are and, and you know, maybe you're really tired or you have more stressful things going on, but there's no right or wrong. It's just that [00:27:00] commitment of doing it. And maintaining it and creating a routine of it. And that's where you reap all of these incredible benefits.

[00:27:09] Chandler Stroud: Yeah. No, I agree. I totally agree. I can't wait for the next one. Yeah. Can you also just take a moment quickly to explain what Thai body work is and how it creates a space for stillness, especially for people who can't get there on their own? 

[00:27:24] Nicole Kim: So, Thai body work is an incredible practice. It's similar to [00:27:30] massage, but the practitioner is moving with you, so you're relying on a, on a mat on the ground.

Typically, there are some practitioners that use tables. But they're manipulating your body into yoga poses that are restorative poses and also integrating mis elements of massage. You, you can achieve levels of stillness within Thai body work, especially for people who have really busy minds moving your body.

It's almost like a moving meditation. So the practice itself. It is actually like [00:28:00] a moving meditation versus when you're getting a massage, you're, you're very passive. You're laying there, you're not doing anything, and so you can go into the, the stillness, but maybe your mind is, is very active now in Thai body work because you're being moved around that it, it becomes more accessible because you're actively moving your body.

All of a sudden you're able to calm the mind and you feel this level of calm and peace from that experience. Yeah, so it's, [00:28:30] it's not as straightforward, I guess, but for people that are, you know, more anxious or have a harder time being relaxed. I find that it's more accessible int body work than in another massage modality because you are still actively participating, but in a restorative way.

[00:28:51] Chandler Stroud: I think you hit the nail on the head there. I mean, I've definitely had massages. Western massages where I've been on a table and I'm like, my to-do list is like on, yeah. [00:29:00] Compete on loop in my head. Whereas when I've done Thai body work with you, it's like as soon as that loop starts and then you move my leg in a weird position, that feels great by the way.

I'm like, Ooh, what is that? And I'm back in my body again. Yeah. So it's just like. Yeah. Well, so then I don't know why this came into my mind, but have you ever read the book, the Interrupting Chicken? No. Sort of like, it's a great kid's book, the Interrupting Chicken. It's sort of like. That for your mind.

It's like it's, it just interrupts that loop [00:29:30] and makes you focus on the here and now and be super present, which is helpful. 

[00:29:34] Nicole Kim: Yeah, it's so helpful. And, and I don't think that's exclusive to Thai body work. That goes right into sound. And, and the way that I was trying to describe it earlier is the different modalities that, you know, whether it's a chime or a gong or a crystal bowl that gets you at, oh.

In this space. I was hearing this now. Now what is that? You know? And so you're listening and it's pulling you out of that looping mind and it's making you be incredibly present. And that's a tool that we do with our kids. I, you know, my [00:30:00] son has a DHD and when he was really little, he would have these massive temper tantrums and he would get stuck and fixated.

He would go into this like looping cycle and then, you know, I'd be like, Hey, do you wanna get ice cream? And it would totally be like out of nowhere, but just bringing in something new would pull him out. Oh wait, yeah, yeah, I do want that. And then now we're onto the next. And so as adults, we do this for our kids, but as adults, it's so important to, to offer that for ourselves.

Okay, how can I [00:30:30] get out of this? And that's why these cold plunges are so powerful. This is why going into the hot room is so powerful. It's that automatic reset. To, to give yourself that reprieve and to give yourself that, that stillness and that quiet and Oh, okay, wait a minute. Yeah, no, it's okay. I'm okay now.

[00:30:48] Chandler Stroud: I love that. 'cause I think so often, and there's so much out there now on the scientific benefits. Mm-hmm. The health benefits of those practices, cold plunges, hot room saunas, et cetera. And they are, you know, the [00:31:00] lasting health benefits are vast and plentiful, but I do think the immediate benefit of just like, whoa, I'm in a hot room.

Or, oh, this is really cold, and like shaking you out of whatever state you're in and making you fully present. I mean, I think that's a really, I think that's really accurate. Yeah, really accurate. It's just another way of thinking about the benefits of some of these practices we talk about on the show, which, mm-hmm.

I dunno. It's so helpful. It really is so helpful to just like clear your mind like that when [00:31:30] you need to. 

[00:31:30] Nicole Kim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

[00:31:32] Chandler Stroud: What would a stillness prescription look like for a woman who feels stuck in go mode all the time? 

[00:31:39] Nicole Kim: Oh my goodness. Where to start with that? Go mode. Well. I guess maybe going back into that routine, what, what is your schedule?

What is your schedule, and are there edits that can happen? Is it truly necessary to be doing X, Y, and Z? Can I edit it? And then how can I? [00:32:00] Welcome in that moment of stillness, and as I mentioned earlier, in our busy day, maybe you're super, super scheduled and you're back to back meetings and that's impossible.

Well, there are moments to go to the bathroom, right? And there's moments that where you can step outside and go somewhere where no one's around, whether it's, you know, closing the door in your office or. It's sitting in the bathroom for a moment longer and just breathing, closing your eyes. It doesn't, you don't have to be anywhere.

You find that [00:32:30] you cultivate that space in any environment where you can close your eyes, feel the feet connecting with the earth, grounding, and coming back to that breath. That breath is so key, and so maybe you're sitting there for five minutes and you're breathing, and the exercise that I love so much, inhale through the nose, the count for pause, hold to the count for, and then a super, super slow release to a minimum of six.

And what you'll find with that, especially when you're in that go mode, that exhale [00:33:00] is so hard that exhale is so hard to elongate that that is the most effective way that you can calm your central nervous system. So you can calm yourself. And so that five minute breath work, closing your eyes, centering and grounding can make the rest of the day an entirely different experience.

And so maybe you block that into your schedule so that you can start to notice how you feel in your body. Then eventually you'll start to feel sensations in your body. Oh my [00:33:30] gosh, I'm on go mode and I, you know, it's four o'clock and I'm about to crash and burn, and I'm gonna get really nasty and irritable.

Okay, I am feeling this now I'm gonna integrate it in this moment, I'm gonna give myself a timeout and I'm gonna do it again. And so you can integrate it throughout your day and then incorporating movement, so whatever kind of movement that you prefer, whether it's a walk outside or it's a hike, or you know it's an actual class being in a community, or maybe you need to be by yourself, then you're integrating those throughout the week and.

[00:34:00] That not only is just great for you in general, but when you're feeling like I'm getting burnt out, well tomorrow I get to take this class that makes me so happy I get to take this walk. And so it's sort of structuring your week to look forward to these moments of rest and reprieve and, and a restore and, and all those things that help you get through the, the chaos of what's going on in your current life.

Absolutely. What I would. I would prescribe for, for women to find stillness in their [00:34:30] daily life and their routine is just to build in those little elements. 

[00:34:33] Chandler Stroud: I love that, and I love that you talk about movement as a bridge to achieve stillness when it feels so unobtainable or unattainable for women today.

So thank you for sharing those thoughts. How do you personally create space for stillness in your life today? 

[00:34:51] Nicole Kim: Yeah, I, I integrate it every day. I have a meditative practice every day, no matter what. And you know, maybe I wake up earlier because my day starts [00:35:00] earlier and so that time has to change a little bit.

But I'll definitely have a break, you know, during lunchtime or before dinner or at bedtime, and I'll create that space. And so I'm closing my eyes, I'm connecting with my breath. I'm going back through all the things that, you know, went on in my. Day so that I can have a restful sleep so that I can calm and neutralize my body.

And so sometimes it's sitting in meditation. Sometimes it's that walk, it's being in nature, it's sitting, it's [00:35:30] pausing. And these don't have to be big moments. They're just. Integrated in your daily life of I'm feeling overwhelmed. Okay, now I'm gonna take a minute and I'm gonna slow down and think about what works best for you.

So person like me, I need to be outside, so I'm gonna definitely take as many opportunities to be outside and find that stillness, whether it's within two minutes or it's an hour, it doesn't matter. They're both so important and so helpful. 

[00:35:59] Chandler Stroud: Love that. [00:36:00] Thank you for sharing and. I think to build on that and to end our conversation today, if a listener is craving the kind of peace you've been able to cultivate in those glimmer moments throughout your day, or if she wants clarity or a soft landing, what's the message you want her to walk away with today?

[00:36:22] Nicole Kim: I, I want her to not be so hard on herself. I want her to really look at her schedule [00:36:30] and to create a set time, because when you repeat the, it takes, what, three months to have a routine. So when you make that commitment to yourself, whether, whether it's in the morning or the afternoon, you have to be a little bit more.

Strict about it in the beginning so that you can start to get into the habit and then it becomes very natural. So just building it in slowly and having that set time and just honoring that for yourself is the best way to start. And then [00:37:00] eventually it becomes really accessible and easy. But just being kind to yourself and and just.

Knowing that you can create that space. People just are, are hard on themselves. I can't do it, so I'm not going to do it. Okay? Mm-hmm. Well, you feel like you can't do it because it's hard. And so when you create that commitment to yourself or for yourself, it becomes more accessible and it's no longer hard, and then there isn't that resistance.

Now it becomes fun and you enjoy it. 

[00:37:28] Chandler Stroud: Yes. There is [00:37:30] a reason we talk about accountability on this show. Mm-hmm. And showing up for yourself. Yeah. It's a muscle that you need to strengthen and it starts with small steps. Yeah. So I love your answer. Thank you for sharing, Nicole, and thank you for being here. I had so much fun chatting with you.

As always, I so appreciate your expertise and wisdom and experience. So thank you for being here and having this conversation today. 

[00:37:55] Nicole Kim: Yeah. Thank you for having me. It's always such a pleasure. 

[00:37:59] Chandler Stroud: Well, we [00:38:00] love having you here. You're welcome back anytime and to those tuning in. If you like today's discussion, please share it with friends and don't forget to subscribe.

You can also visit healing heroes podcast.com to get resources, meet the heroes, and share your ideas for future episodes. Thanks for listening everyone, and until next time, remember, be curious. Be courageous and be kind to yourself. You've got [00:38:30] this.