The Transforming Anxiety Podcast

Let's be honest with each other first thing today: we like to be in control. We like to have control. We like to have things under control. We are kinda control freaks. ​I want to talk about something *really* subtle re: control today​ so that we don't wind up thinking we have control where we do NOT have control and then find ourselves in a trap of trying to exert control over the outside world thinking, "wait, I've done this before and it worked" when it most decidedly did NOT and does NOT work. When things go according to plan, it doesn't have that much to do with us. When things fall apart, it doesn't have that much to do with us. Control is an inside job...the things we have the MOST control over are our thoughts, our feelings, and our words + actions. It sometimes LOOKS like we have control where we don't. And if we fall for that little trick, we wind up spinning our wheels in an effort to stay in control...when we our just pouring our energy into the wrong spot. Let's talk about it. ​Today on Th

So this week we are talking about ​birthdays​ on ​The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​...mainly, honestly, because my birthday was Monday the 22nd and because every year, I get all in a tizzy about it... ...and I've found I'm not alone with this. For *years* I've wanted to create something to support us around birthdays so that we can enjoy them. Which is why I want to hear from YOU. In fact, ​I made a Google form​ so that you can tell me all the things re: birthdays and you. I know this can be a really sensitive issue. Between the nostalgic/homesick/sentimental emotions that we experience on our birthdays to the reality of aging to feeling overlooked, forgotten, or downright ignored...all the way to absolutely loving this thing that is your very own personal holiday, I want to hear all about it. The good, the challenging, and everything else. If you trust me enough to share, I'm here to listen. Consider it a birthday gift from you to me.

Over and over again, I talk with students who describe feeling as if they can't turn the volume down on the thoughts in their minds. That incessant chatter gets relentless. The stories and ideas just swirl around until it all becomes a tornado. *exhausting* Today on ​The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​ I want to talk about ​how to get out of your head​ so that you can find some breathing room up there in your mind. You don't have to get lost in the cavern of your mind, going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole, hoping for an easy place to get some peace to show up. You can help yourself get OUT of your head, so that you can tune in to your life, your experience, your being. You are so much more than the thoughts you think. Let's talk about it together... Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/256  Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com  Submit your questions to me by CLICKING TH

Good morning, happy Wednesday! This week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast is a discussion about something pretty simple, but a powerful addition to the toolbox that we're all using to take care of ourselves around anxiety. And that is: the inevitable ​lapses in logic​ that occur in our minds. Our brains are shameless; they'll think absolutely *anything*. But this concept gives us a solid reminder that just because we think it, doesn't mean it's true. It's like there's a glitch in the matrix... Sometimes we can approach a challenge (work presentation!) or something icky (a snake!) or something scary (teens driving!) with clarity and rationale. Aaaaaand sometimes, we just totally lose the plot. What's the difference? Whether we can, or cannot, tell the whole story, all the way through, using reason and logic. Does our primal brain get in the way and perceive the situation as a threat? Or are we able to slow things down and calmly walk through the potential outcomes, seeing ALL possibilities a

Well, this may be (as close as we're gonna get to) the piece de resistance of the podcast: today, we're talking about ​living well​. Pretty much everything we do around here points to this: how can you feel okay in your skin? How can you move around the world being alright with who you are? ​How can you live well?​ We got pretty caught up in the daily stuff and I think we lose sight of what's most vital. I know I have. And this is something I'm staying really close to right now: living well. Taking care of myself by focusing pretty much *exclusively* on: mind, body, and heart. I also am asking simple, but powerful, questions like: What do I need right now? What do I want? How could I get a little more comfortable? Is there I'm thinking, feeling, or doing that seems icky? What am I feeling pulled towards? How can I be a little kinder with myself? Nothing time-consuming, nothing ground-breaking. But it is helping me to get really honest and clear about what I truly want and need in my life. Join me. Let's ta

Ok, *today* we are going to focus on something that I know brings a lot of confusion, guilt, and pressure (aka anxiety) into our lives...and that is: ​what community looks like​. I have experienced this myself and I talk to students every week about it. The people in our lives. Get-togethers and social gatherings. Family and holidays and vacations. Friend groups, acquaintances, colleagues. How are we supposed to interact with all of these people? How many people should we have in our lives? ​What does community look like​? If you feel like you're constantly cycling through obligations, expectations, and trying to live up to some social-media-inspired lifestyle, full of people, this one is for you. Let's talk about community and take some time to define this for ourselves together today. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/253  Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com  Submit your

Good morning. ☀️ I hope this finds you well. That you're doing ok so far this week. That you're hanging in, finding some flow, letting yourself breathe, and being kind with yourself. On this week's episode of ​The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​ I wanted to explore how we can move through *all the things* without having quite such a death grip on life. Because, I mean, I think we DO. I've noticed we're holding on to it all pretty tightly...hoping that we can make it, that we can push through, that we can force it all to work and get all the people to cooperate and generally get things together. But I wonder: what if we loosened our grip? What if we relaxed our jaws, shook off some tension, and let go just a little bit? What if we ​hold it lightly​? We don't have to swing all the way into "screw it, nevermind, I give up" mode. We could just...chill. You've heard of this, yeah? The concept of chilling out.

Ahhhhh, it's good to be back...back to transforming anxiety. I missed you. In this week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast I'm sharing a bit with you about why I took a(n unplanned) break, how I personally struggle a bit, and what we have to look forward to together: work that I want to do, practices I want to steep myself in, teachings I want to stay close to. With you... I want you to know that I don’t take the fact that you're here lightly. I don’t for a second take it for granted that you’re here with me. That you listen in. That you share your inbox with me. That this work means something to you. It means the world to me, too. And that’s why I do it. That’s why I show up. That’s why I love on you and bring you these conversations, from my heart and my research and my curiosity and a deep love for all of us who feel and struggle and work with and around and inside of anxiety. I get it. I walk this path right alongside you. I'm so glad to be back. I've been thinking about you. And working hard.

This week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we’re going to talk about that inner pileup of garbage that happens after days, weeks, months, YEARS of conversations, work, get-togethers, parenting, and activities. Alllll the garbage that starts gumming up the works, internally. The residue that happens when we ignore ourselves a little bit, when we bite our tongues, when we hold back, when we make ourselves small… And, more importantly, we’re going to talk about a few specific ways you can take out the trash for yourself so that you feel better and things run more smoothly. If you’ve ever felt bogged down at work, slow to make decisions, overly impatient with your family, or just like you can quite THINK clearly…it may be because the inner trash is piling up. These are all pretty common signals that something needs to be said, that it’s time to take a good, hard look at how you’re adulting, or that maybe a regular routine or pattern could use some adjustment. This one is full of practical approaches to emotion

I don't know about you, but I looooove to put my nose into other people's business. (Except I do know about you...I'm guessing you do this, too. Only about 100% of my students and friends and family do it.

I have something that sounds fun today, but is way more important than its cute little name and that is: time confetti. Have you ever had the feeling that you should have more time in your days and weeks than you do? Or sat down to relax for a few minutes and then looked at the clock to realize that an hour had flown by? Or felt so completely fragmented and distracted mentally that even when you get a moment to focus on something...you can't? We can't manage time itself, but we CAN manage ourselves around time. And looking how we shred our time into little itty bitty pieces of confetti and then bemoan the loss of it is a pretty powerful way to start the new year. It'll give us something to think about while we cook this month and gear up for 2024...more about that in last week's episode of The Transforming Anxiety Podcast.

New year! But same me. Same you. Same all of us. This week's episode of ​The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​ is a "what's new in the new year" but also an acknowledgment of: not much.

To start out the new year, I am SO excited to bring a really great conversation to you on this week's episode of ​The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​. I'm talking with Scott Stabile, author, teacher, and love activist, about his new book: Enough As You Are. This book is an absolute must read. Pick it up anytime, on any page, and you'll find important lessons that you can bathe your brain in so that you can remember to remember: you are enough just as you are. Love wins. And practices like compassion, truth-telling, and being present are key. I thought this discussion was the perfect way to begin this year. To clean the slate. To bring fresh eyes and a new perspective as we embark on the next iteration of your path, your growth, your LIFE. ​Join me for this rich conversation with Scott Stabile​...we'll see you there. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/246  Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanl

Tis the season, friend...this week on The Transforming Anxiety Podcast we're going to talk about joy. It seems we have a verrrrry tricky dynamic with joy. Have you noticed? We want to feel happy. We crave ease and contentment. And then, as soon as we feel like things are going okay, a nagging sense of doom creeps in. How can we get more joy in our lives?

Ohhh this is gonna be a good conversation heading into the holidays...something I talk about with EVERY single student of mine is their own personal definitions. Meaning: What do YOU think success looks like? What do YOU think a good friend does / says? What do YOU think it means to be a wonderful parent / employee / boss / neighbor / writer / activist? What do YOU think is enough? We get wrapped up in the ideas of what we think good moms do, how the dinner needs to go, and what we need to prepare, plan for, and schedule for the family. We get consumed with doing more, going nonstop, and pulling off flawless gatherings. Folks...let's lay that weapon down. Stop letting outside definitions of what good enough looks like rule (read: wreck) your life. Today we're going to talk about it and I'm STRONGLY inviting you to come up with your own personal definitions. For all of it... Join me for this week's episode of ​The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​ and let's talk about personal definitions. Full show notes are

Y'know how movies sometimes have the "​director's cut​" where they play the whole movie with the filmmaker(s) speaking over the top of it, giving insights and outtakes and ideas about the whole process? Today, on ​The Transforming Anxiety Podcast​, I want to use this Hollywood idea and apply it to our relationships (haha, yup). I think we can borrow from this to give ourselves, and the people we love, more insight into how we're thinking and feeling. In real time. Join me for this discussion as we explore the director's cut in *your* life...and consider how this could bring hugs swaths of awareness, clarity, and compassion into your mind and heart. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/243  Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com  Text PODCAST to +1 (816)354-1279 and I'll send mindfulness reminders, anxiety hacks, and little love notes your way from time to time...

This one seems timely, given where we're at in the year...and, I don't know, history. Let's talk about ​expectations​ today. Should we raise our expectations? Lower them? Drop them altogether? And where the hell do our expectations come from in the first place? Yeah... This isn't a step-by-step tactical roadmap to sorting out expectations. But this conversation IS a study in awareness and giving ourselves some room to *breathe*. And after the last few years + as we go deeper in the holiday season, we all need reminders and spaces like this, methinks. ​Join me for this brief exploration into expectations​...let's do this together. Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/242  Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com  Text PODCAST to +1 (816)354-1279 and I'll send mindfulness reminders, anxiety hacks, and little love notes your way from time to time...

  Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/241  Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com  Text PODCAST to +1 (816)354-1279 and I'll send mindfulness reminders, anxiety hacks, and little love notes your way from time to time...

  Full show notes are located at: www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com/podcast/240  Be sure to join my email list so you don't miss announcements, new classes, and podcast updates by visiting www.kellyhanlinmccormick.com  Text PODCAST to +1 (816)354-1279 and I'll send mindfulness reminders, anxiety hacks, and little love notes your way from time to time...

Welp, we've made it to November. Which means: everyone is gonna start talking about gratitude. ​So, ok, ok, I put together a gratitude episode for us​.