What if a breakthrough isn’t about doing more, but about seeing differently?

In this episode of Brave Moves, we explore what a breakthrough really is from a neuroscience and nervous system perspective, how it differs from growth, and why breakthroughs often arrive quietly after periods of discomfort.

You’ll learn:

• The psychological difference between growth and breakthrough
• How breakthroughs reorganize beliefs, not just behaviors
• Why frustration often precedes insight
• How the nervous system influences change
• How to recognize a breakthrough while you’re in it
• A Brave Move to practice awareness and self-trust

This episode connects to earlier Brave Moves conversations about regulation, memory, stress, and empowerment, showing how change becomes sustainable when the system feels safe.

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session

Empowering your path isn’t about having everything figured out, it’s about reclaiming agency, self-trust, and alignment in your daily choices.

In this episode of Brave Moves, we explore what empowerment really means, how confidence is built through action, and how small, intentional decisions help regulate the nervous system and build momentum.

You’ll learn:

• Why empowerment is rooted in agency, not certainty
• How confidence and motivation are built after action
• The nervous system’s role in decision-making and self-trust
• Why waiting for clarity often keeps you stuck
• A simple Brave Move to practice empowerment today

This episode connects to previous Brave Moves conversations about stress, regulation, and identity, showing how empowerment is a skill you can build.

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session

Memories shape more than our past, they influence how our nervous system responds in the present.

In this episode of Brave Moves, we explore how memories live in the body, how emotional memory impacts stress and regulation, and how reconnecting with safe memories can support confidence, balance, and nervous system health.

You’ll learn:

• How memories are stored emotionally, not as exact recordings
• Why your body reacts to memories even years later
• The link between memory, stress, and nervous system regulation
• How to work with memories instead of being ruled by them
• A simple Brave Move to practice grounding through positive memory recall

This episode builds on earlier conversations about stress, sleep, and emotional regulation, helping you see how your inner world shapes your outer life.

If you want to learn more about FUN like I talk about in the episode go CHECK OUT THE FUN EPSIODE HERE.

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session

Fun is often the first thing we cut when life gets serious, but from a nervous system perspective, fun isn’t optional, it’s essential.

In this episode of Brave Moves, we explore why fun has been mislabeled as frivolous, how enjoyment supports nervous system regulation, and why permission to experience joy is critical for health, balance, and resilience.

You’ll learn:

• Why fun lowers cortisol and supports nervous system regulation
• How chronic responsibility and productivity suppress joy
• The science behind enjoyment and emotional balance
• Why fun helps prevent burnout rather than causing it
• One simple shift that makes life feel more fun without adding to your schedule
• A daily Brave Move to practice joy without guilt or justification

This episode connects to previous Brave Moves conversations about stress, burnout, and waking up in the middle of the night, showing how unprocessed stress looks for relief when we don’t create it intentionally.

Fun isn’t a reward for surviving life.
It’s part of how we stay well while living it.

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session

Have you ever woken up around 3:00 AM with your brain racing, replaying conversations, worrying about the future, or feeling a sense of urgency that makes no sense in the daylight?

You’re not broken, and it’s not just “anxiety.”
There’s real biology behind why this happens.

In this episode of Brave Moves, we explore why early-morning wake-ups are so common, what’s happening in your brain and nervous system when cortisol rises in the early hours, and why your thoughts feel heavier and more dramatic at night.

You’ll learn:

• Why cortisol naturally rises between 2:00–4:00 AM
• How stress and emotional load amplify nighttime wake-ups
• Why your rational brain is offline while your fear center is wide awake
• Why nothing feels solvable at 3:00 AM
• The biggest mistake people make when their mind starts spiraling
• Nervous-system-based tools that actually help you settle and fall back asleep
• How to respond with compassion instead of panic when this happens

This episode isn’t about forcing better sleep or fixing yourself.
It’s about understanding your body’s signals and learning how to create safety when your nervous system is on high alert.

If you’ve ever laid awake at night wondering what’s wrong with you, this conversation will help you breathe easier and feel less alone.

Nothing good gets decided at 3:00 AM.
Your job isn’t to solve your life, it’s to soothe your nervous system.

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session

Meditation doesn’t have to look like sitting cross-legged in silence with a perfectly calm mind. In this episode of Brave Moves, Julie breaks down what meditation actually is—and why most people think they’re “bad” at it when they’re not.

If you’ve ever tried to meditate and felt more distracted, restless, or frustrated, this conversation is for you. Julie walks you through a simple, real-life meditation practice designed for busy, overwhelmed humans who want more clarity, regulation, and confidence without adding another thing to their to-do list.

This episode reframes meditation as a nervous system skill, not a performance. You’ll learn how small moments of awareness can help you pause before reacting, quiet negative self-talk, and create space for braver, more aligned decisions.

In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why meditation feels hard for so many people (and why that doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong)
• What meditation actually is—and what it’s not
• How meditation supports emotional regulation and confident decision-making
• A simple, guided meditation you can use anytime, anywhere
• Common meditation mistakes that keep people stuck
• How meditation helps you take braver moves without forcing confidence

This episode is perfect if you:

• Feel overwhelmed or overstimulated
• Struggle with overthinking or self-criticism
• Want practical tools to feel calmer and more grounded
• Are curious about meditation but don’t want anything complicated or woo-woo

Key Takeaway:

Meditation isn’t about stopping your thoughts. It’s about noticing them—and choosing how you respond. That pause is where confidence and courage begin.

Call to Action:

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session

Relationships don’t create your triggers.
They activate old survival patterns that were already there.

In this Brave Moves episode, Julie explores one of the most misunderstood truths about love and partnership: relationships are not meant to heal us or fix our wounds for us. Instead, they reveal where our work still lives and invite us to take responsibility for our own nervous systems.

Julie shares insights from her own relationship with Dan, highlighting that the strength of a relationship isn’t found in being unwounded, but in being self-aware. Real relationships involve two human beings with nervous systems that will get stressed, triggered, overwhelmed, and dysregulated, sometimes right in front of each other.

This episode breaks down why intimacy activates old survival responses, why taking things personally keeps us stuck, and how understanding the difference between early dopamine-driven attraction and long-term oxytocin-based bonding can change how we experience love.

You’ll also learn why partners who can self-soothe tend to do better together, and why your partner is not your therapist, healer, or fixer, but someone who walks beside you as you each do your individual work.

This conversation is compassionate, grounded, and rooted in nervous system science, offering a powerful reframe for conflict, disappointment, and connection.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why relationships trigger old survival patterns
• The role of nervous system regulation in healthy partnerships
• Why partners are not meant to heal or fix each other
• How self-awareness strengthens long-term relationships
• The difference between dopamine attraction and oxytocin bonding
• Why real love includes disappointment without being broken
• How self-soothing improves relational stability

Main Takeaway:

Relationships don’t heal your wounds for you.
They reveal where healing is still needed and that awareness is where growth begins.

Today’s Brave Move:

The next time you feel triggered in a relationship, pause and ask yourself, “What old survival pattern is being activated right now?”
Regulate first, then respond.

Invitation:

Julie invites listeners to join the Confident You Co-Op, a weekly community of brave women doing the inner work and outer work together. Inside the Co-Op, members build self-awareness, confidence, leadership, and sustainable businesses with consistent income, while supporting one another to make a meaningful difference in the

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session

Sometimes you need a push.
Sometimes you need permission to rest.

In this Brave Moves episode, Julie explores a simple but powerful distinction that can completely change how you support yourself and others: knowing when you need a pep talk and when you need a hug.

A pep talk is about mobilization. It helps shift your mindset from “I can’t” to “I will.” It’s a tool for courage, performance, and action, especially when you’re capable but hesitant, standing at the starting line and needing a push.

A hug, on the other hand, is about stabilization. It offers safety, co-regulation, and reassurance. It tells your nervous system that you are not alone, regardless of outcomes or productivity. When you’re overwhelmed, grieving, or emotionally poured out, a hug isn’t indulgent, it’s necessary.

Julie also shares why a pep talk given too early can feel like pressure, and why the most effective leaders, supporters, and self-leaders know how to read the moment before responding.

This episode is an invitation to stop forcing motivation and start practicing attunement, with yourself and with others.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The difference between mobilization and stabilization
• When a pep talk helps and when it hurts
• Why hugs create nervous system safety and co-regulation
• How to tell what you actually need in the moment
• Why attunement matters more than motivation
• The leadership skill of knowing when to push and when to pause

The Pro Move:

The best supporters lead with a hug to lower the heart rate and create safety, then follow with a pep talk once the body is calm enough to actually hear it.

Today’s Brave Move:

Pause and ask yourself honestly, “Do I need a pep talk or a hug right now?” Then give yourself the one you truly need, not the one you think you should need.

That’s self-leadership.

Here is the creator who inspired this episode. https://www.instagram.com/timmchiusano/?hl=en

If you loved this episode, text me and let me know what you though.

Support the show

Check out my New Book: Confident You -The Raw Conversations!

My The Brave Moves Podcast is created for anyone who wants motivation, direction, and growth for their life. If you follow online mentors like Tony Robbins, Mel Robbins, Rich Roll, Marie Forleo, Brene Brown, Rhonda Byrne, The Life Coach School, and other inspirational teachers.

If you want more tools coaching, and inspiration, sign up for my newsletter HERE.

✨ Download: The 10-Day Brave Moves Challenge & Journal build your confidence one small habit at a time →

✨ Visit my website: https://goconfidentlycoaching.com/

✨ Book a FREE 30 minute thrive coaching session