Curious And Curiouser Podcast

In this episode, Tracey & Cayly are talking about how they've been personally affected by the COVID-19 situation & what they're doing to move through these circumstances. Cayly talks about making the difficult the decision to close her clinic & Tracey talks about moving to a virtual model for all client sessions. To work with Tracey in an online capacity, please visit her website www.traceybiebel.com. Cayly is also offering virtual sessions, both for herbal consultations and for breathwork. Please contact her either through her website www.organicacupuncturepdx.com or by email at caylychristensenlac@gmail.com to inquire about details or to schedule.

In today's episode, Tracey and Cayly are catching y'all up on what they've been doing over the past 9ish months and talking all about how doing less, simplifying their lives, and prioritizing ease has been a game changer for them both.

Well, we’re here! Our 100th and final episode. Tracey and I thought it was only fitting to spend some time talking about goodbyes and transitions as we say farewell to this project after two years of making it. In this conversation, we talk about relationships, identity, scarcity, and a concept Brene Brown calls “foreboding joy.” We hope you enjoy this discussion. Topics discussed include: Our feelings about saying goodbye to the podcast Staying in relationships too long because you’re afraid to say goodbye Preventative medicine for relationship health Issues in relationships never come out of nowhere Transitions in relationships and saying goodbye to previous incarnations of the same relationship Missing the younger versions of your kids as they age and not wanting your kids to grow up Our reluctance to let go of peak experiences (i.e. foreboding joy) Scarcity mindset about joy We can’t live in a state of elation all the time How old we are vs. how old we FEEL Saying goodbye to old identities Inside/outside

Well, friends, we’ve only got two episodes of the podcast left, including this one. Whaaaat? I know. It’s coming fast. For this week’s conversation, Tracey and decided it would be fun to revisit some popular topics from past episodes to offer new insights and advice where possible. We’re talking relationships, building intentional community, navigating through conflict in intimate partnerships, and social decluttering. We hope you enjoy this discussion! Specific topics include: Being intentional about who you surround yourself with Emotions are contagious & the importance of being boundaried Social decluttering and what happens when you can’t declutter someone completely Social decluttering and resentment Cayly’s experience of being socially decluttered recently Allowing relationships to evolve Anxious, avoidant, and secure attachment Misalignment in friendships Unrealistic expectations in relationships and being honest with yourself and each other Emotional pain and physical pain register in the brain i

This week, Tracey and I are talking all about emotional fragility, normalizing uncomfortable feelings, tools for navigating difficult emotions, and asking the question:  Can you cure anxiety? Specific topics discussed include: Why do we treat humans like we’re emotionally fragile? Even babies are not emotionally fragile Why we’re like cockroaches Why anxious is just a feeling state and how it’s beneficial Anxiety is not an illness Relationship between emotional fragility and anxiety Why just wanting the feelings to go away is not actually helpful Helping kids navigate anxiety, around bedtime, etc. Internal vs. external resources Giving kids tools AND validating their feelings All feelings are okay, not all behaviors are helpful How Cayly’s parents responded when she started self-harming Tracey’s experience of being anxious during childhood Limits and empathy are both necessary Sleep training for infants and children The importance of sleep for emotional regulation and confidence building Wants vs. needs Assu

As the podcast winds to a close, Tracey and I wanted to take some time to discuss our reasons for starting the podcast, what it’s brought into our lives (hint:  not fame or fortune), and why we’re choosing to discontinue making it. We also talk about why you should just do the thing already, why personal projects are still worthwhile even if nobody knows about them, and why we should all ask ourselves more often:  Why am I doing this? Specific topics include: Why we started the podcast How do we define success? How do we determine if something is worthwhile to pursue, especially creatively? The barrier to entry is not as big as we think it is Epiphanies we’ve had on the podcast How doing the podcast has positively impacted our businesses Why listening to my own voice has been healing for me Self-judgment and the inner critic How we hold ourselves back from doing what we want to do You’re not for everybody How putting a lot of personal information out there has benefited our businesses Building confidence by

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Tracey and I are asking:  Why do we insist on ignoring the elephant in the room? We’re talking about all the different kinds of elephants we pretend not to see — in our relationships, in our health, in our work, etc — and how ignoring the elephants negatively impacts our lives. Specific topics discussed include: Different kinds of elephants we ignore Why we’re afraid that acknowledging an elephant might be the end of a relationship How ignoring elephants feeds resentment Our need to feel safe Change is inevitable Talking about the elephant is a form of self care Projections and why we’re terrible at guessing what someone else is feeling How we make up stories about what other people are thinking/feeling Our brains fill in gaps How this applies to friendships Ignoring the elephants about our physical health We can compensate for ignored elephants for a long time. Until we can’t Procrastination and elephants How acknowledging the elephant builds self-trust How shame plays

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Tracey and I are talking all about routine, being boring, & the idea of re-parenting yourself in adulthood. The question around which this discussion revolves is:  Does “boring” routine actually give you more space to be interesting and creative? This is the topic Specific topics discussed include: Why Tracey and I both love routine Why we resist routine How routine frees up brain space Routine as a way to re-parent yourself Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Learning safety, predictability, and trust in the first three years of life We all have gaps from our childhood Routine build self-trust Not keeping commitments to yourself and self betrayal We can get addicted to chaos Creating new habits and routines gets easier the more you do it Distinguishing between intuition and resistance Decision fatigue and how routine mitigates against this Discipline equals freedom but not rigidity And more! As always, reviews and 5-star ratings are greatly appreciated. Please head over t

The truth about transformation? It is super unsexy. Tracey and Cayly are talking all about why this is true and asking the following question:  How do you buy into the process of change when the outcome isn’t guaranteed? Specific topics discussed include: There is no formula for healing Letting go of a specific expectation/outcome Meditation isn’t a magic bullet True change happens in small habits done consistently over time We will always get triggered Committing to healing requires faith Relationships are about processes, too Focus on feeling states instead of tangible things Changing our relationships with our mothers Better vs. different Satisfaction is in the pursuit of the goal We’re terrible at predicting what will make us happy in the future Joy in suffering Investment without attachment How pain can be useful How do you know when it’s time to make a change Healing our relationships with our bodies Transformation is about intentionally changing patterns 90% of what we do in a day is automatic How

This week’s question is:  How do you know when you’re holding something that’s not yours to hold? Tracey and I talk about how you can inadvertently take on the emotions of others, how to recognize when you’ve done so, why it’s not actually helpful to feel your loved ones feelings with them, and what to do instead. Specific topics discussed include: How we can absorb other people’s emotions and pain without even realizing it Emotions are highly contagious Our brains as problem solvers How boundaries are harder to hold when we get tired, sick, etc. How to recognize when you’ve picked up something that’s not yours to hold Why it isn’t helpful to take on your partner’s, kids’, or friends’ emotions The double edged sword of being simultaneously a very capable and highly sensitive person Why not taking on other people’s shit takes discipline Holding space and what that actually means The observer effect and the power of being witnessed in our pain Why we shouldn’t rescue our kids or partners How taking on someone

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Tracey and Cayly are talking about self care, healing, and magic, asking the question:  Is taking care of yourself selfish? Or is it a gift you give to everyone else in your life? They talk about healing intergenerational pain, daily acts of self care, embracing woo, and how prioritizing yourself makes you a more available to those around you. They also talk about not taking it all so seriously and how you might be inspiring people in your life without realizing they’re even paying attention to you at all. Other topics discussed include: Two levels of self-care Worrying about judgment from others about taking care of yourself Privilege and healing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Intergenerational healing, epigenetics, inherited trauma How doing work on ourselves challenges other people Every parent (even the best ones) pass along some wounds Individual vs collective How emotions infect groups How taking care of yourself empowers other people Choosing to disengage from old s

Today’s episode is all about boundaries. What ARE boundaries? What does setting boundaries actually look like? Tracey and Cayly explore these questions and more in this wide-ranging conversation. They talk about why knowing what you want is the first step in setting boundaries, people pleasing and martyrdom, why having boundaries will make other people uncomfortable (especially if they have poor boundaries), and how to help your kids establish boundaries by modeling healthy behavior. Other topics discussed include: How boundaries are simple in theory but challenging in practice Is it okay if your partner only goes to counseling because you want them to? How people pleasing leads to resentment Starting to set boundaries after many years in the same relationship Family Systems Theory Why you get to change your mind at any time You’re responsible for setting boundaries and for not taking advantage of others Why you have to know yourself in order to set boundaries Different types of boundaries Why people who

Today’s conversation is all about habit change, identity, Marie Kondo, & how small changes can have big impacts in our lives. Also:  What Tracey and Cayly believe is missing from the cultural conversation around building better habits and letting shit go. Specifically, the questions they’re asking are:  What prevents us from sustaining change? How do we get in our own way?   Topics discussed include:   - Cayly and Tracey’s experiences with the Marie Kondo method - How small changes have big impacts - Letting go of old identities - The relationship between identity and habit change - Feeling your brain change as you adopt new habits - How decluttering your house can declutter your brain, life, etc. - Changing your story about who you are - Why is habit change not sustainable? What’s being missed in the conversation? - Congruency and alignment and habit change - Ending relationships — both familial and romantic - How getting divorced required Tracey to update her identity - How cultivating a long term relat

Today on the podcast, Tracey and Cayly are talking about all the things we regularly consume and asking:  Are they doing what we think they’re doing? They talk about alcohol, caffeine, sugar, podcasts, news, marijuana, and more, and discuss the myriad ways these things might be negatively impacting our lives without us even realizing they’re doing so.   Specific topics discussed include:   - How alcohol increases anxiety over time even if it can feel like it eases anxiety in the moment - Cayly’s experience with alcohol and anxiety, and how she finally realized these things were linked - What Cayly learned from taking a five month break from drinking - The importance of experimenting on yourself to build awareness of how you use substances - A good question to ask regarding a substance:  What do you think it’s doing for you? - Tracey’s experience with diet coke and caffeine in college - What happened to Cayly’s anxiety when she cut out coffee - Differences in how we process caffeine - Symptoms Cayly sees often

For today’s episode of the podcast, Tracey and Cayly decided to talk about that Gillette ad that’s been all over the internet, and asking the question:  Did the ad send the message that was intended?   Tracey and Cayly had very different first impressions of the ad, and this unexpected difference was the jumping off point for this conversation. Other topics discussed include:   - Our first impressions of the commercial - How we filter everything through our own experiences and contexts - Ways in which we think Gillette missed the mark - Things we think the ad did well - Why we believe the ad was more polarizing and likely didn’t change any minds - The tone of the ad - What Tracey would like to see Gillette do next - What we didn’t like about the way women were portrayed in the ad - Why shame doesn’t work to change people’s minds - What gets lost in the talk about toxic masculinity - Inspirational vs. preachy - Mixed messages about masculinity - And more!     As always, reviews and 5-star ratings are greatly a

Anxiety:  friend or foe? This is the topic for this week’s episode of the podcast. Tracey and Cayly talk about their own experiences with anxiety, how they’ve learned to cope with these feelings, and what their anxiety has taught them. They also talk about not using anxiety as a crutch or an excuse and offer tips on how to engage with your anxiety in more productive ways.   Other topics discussed include: Why the goal is not to eradicate anxiety Cayly’s experience of panic attacks during grad school Anxiety and digestive problems Feeling safe in our relationships as it relates to anxiety The role of the amygdala in anxiety Autonomic nervous system — parasympathetic and sympathetic Anxiety is normal and adaptive Why body-based therapies are essential for addressing anxiety Practicing boundaries when you are a highly sensitive person The gifts of anxiety The sweet spot of parenting according to Tracey Why everyone should not get a trophy and why we need to practice losing On not using anxiety as an excuse or a

This week’s conversation is all about how physical discomfort can enhance our capacity to tolerate emotional, psychological, and cognitive discomfort. Specifically, we’re asking the question:  Why is pushing outside your comfort zone on a regular basis important?   Topics discussed include:   - Practicing physical discomfort - How Crossfit helped Tracey gain confidence to get divorced - How long distance running helped Cayly get through the initial phases of starting a business - Physical discomfort and limiting beliefs - Why therapy is supposed to be uncomfortable some of the time - Why discomfort is necessary for change - Letting children be uncomfortable to build resilience - How Cayly’s dad pushed her towards to discomfort and why she’s so thankful for these lessons - Discomfort and self-compassion enhance each other - Why it can be helpful to have a coach to push us into discomfort and help us find our limits - When therapy becomes enabling - The limits of discomfort are different for different people on

In this week’s episode, Tracey and Cayly are talking all about resistance and are asking the following questions: What if you don’t feel like it? Should you do it anyway?   Specific topics include: - Being in a funk in the new year - Cayly’s short period of depression at the end of last year - How sitting in the funk can become a habit - Why we resistance is normal and why we resist doing things we actually really care about - How the big picture heaviness can exacerbate our everyday heaviness - Self-sabotage and getting in our own way - Why wanting to do the easier thing is normal - Why we can always find the time and energy for things that are important to us - How family of origin stuff can play into perpetuating resistance - How resistance can be self-protective - How letting go is actually really hard even if it’s cathartic - How clutter can be helpful - Physical & emotional pain as experienced in your brain - Figuring out how to know when to rest & when to do it anyway - How to deal with kids wh

Happy New Year, y’all! For this week’s episode of the podcast, Tracey and Cayly are doing a bit of a year in review and talking about how they are approaching intention-setting this year.   Specific topics include: - What’s something you’ve done this year that would surprise the you of the previous year? - More subtle indicators of growth and celebrating our evolution - Recognizing non-tangible accomplishments - Do we plan to set in intentions this year? - Alternatives to resolutions or intentions - Cardiovascular health, heart rate variability (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_rate_variability), and emotional health - Allowing yourself to be the villain in someone else’s story - What we’re focusing on this year - How we’ve both changed our approach to fitness and movement - What do we think about aesthetic goals? - Aging and why we don’t like the term “anti-aging” - Our thoughts on diet- and exercise-related goals - Letting go of our egos in the gym - How Tracey and Cayly make changes to their diets - Cay

In this week’s episode, Tracey and Cayly are talking about the difference between a toxic person and someone who just isn’t compatible with you. They’re discussing the overuse of the term “toxic people” and why they are not huge fans of this verbiage. They also talk about bids for connection, how to build resonance with another person, and how to know when it’s time to let go of a relationship, including friendships.   Other topics include:   - Why socially decluttering someone doesn’t automatically mean they’re toxic - Why Tracey and Cayly don’t like the term “toxic people” - How labeling people as toxic can lead to feelings of superiority - How attachment styles apply to friendships as well as intimate partnerships - Resonance and attunement in relationships - Building resonance and attunement through presence - Are there times when resonance with another person is impossible? - How do you know when it’s time to let go? - Being generous with our assumptions in relationships - Getting rid of vs. letting go o