In this episode of Owning Pleasure as a Black Woman, we dive into sensory disconnection and emotional numbness—that feeling of moving through your life but not actually living it.

Tune in as we explore why high-achieving Black women become disconnected from their senses, what this pattern is protecting you from, and what it costs when numbness becomes your baseline. If you're looking to understand why you achieve everything but feel nothing, you won't want to miss this one!

● Sensory disconnection is adaptation, not brokenness: When you've spent years being the strong one, your nervous system learns to protect you from overwhelm by disconnecting you from sensation. This wasn't a failure—it was survival.

● You can't selectively numb: When you turn down the volume on pain, exhaustion, and resentment to keep functioning, you also turn it down on joy, pleasure, and aliveness. The same mechanism that helps you survive prevents you from thriving.

● Understanding precedes reconnection: Trying to force yourself back into feeling without understanding why you disconnected often reinforces the pattern. Real reconnection begins with compassion for the version of you who needed numbness to survive.

Listen Now: Ready to understand why you've been watching your life happen instead of living it? Hit play to discover why you can't feel anything anymore—and what that means you need!

● Free 7-Day Self-Care Reset: If you're tired of going through the motions and ready to explore what it feels like to actually feel again, download our free reset at javerywellness.com/reset

● Therapy Intake Form: If you're ready to move from understanding your disconnection to actually reconnecting with support, complete the intake form at javerywellness.com/get-started

● Instagram: @javerywellness

● Facebook: @javeryIWS

● YouTube: @javerywellness

● Website: www.javerywellness.com

About Javery Integrative Wellness Services: We guide high-achieving Black women from overthinking to embodied wisdom, helping you break free from inherited survival patterns so you can create a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

Our culturally responsive therapists understand that for Black women, sensory disconnection often has layers of trauma, survival, and cultural conditioning woven through it—and we provide the support to safely reconnect.

In this episode of Owning Pleasure of Black Women, we dive into the transformative power of boudoir photography with photographer Laquel.

This isn't just about taking sexy pictures—it's about the profound experience of seeing yourself through a lens that celebrates rather than criticizes.

Laquel shares how she creates safe, welcoming spaces for women to explore different sides of themselves, why most women have never experienced professional pampering, and what happens when high-achieving women finally give themselves permission to be seen.

Tune in as we explore the intersection of creativity, rest, self-care, and the revolutionary act of prioritizing yourself—even when guilt shows up. If you're tired of being everyone's photographer but never in the frame yourself, you won't want to miss this one!

Key Takeaways:

1. Self-Care Isn't Selfish—It's Necessary: Laquel shares why creating moments for yourself (whether through photography, gardening, or reading in the tub) isn't indulgent—it's essential for maintaining your sanity and identity, especially during chaotic seasons of life.
2. The Power of Being Seen: Most women never experience professional photography beyond maybe their wedding day. Boudoir sessions offer more than pretty pictures—they reveal parts of yourself that have always existed but you've never gotten to witness.
3. Creative Rest is Real Rest: We discuss creative rest as one of the seven types of rest, and how tapping into your creative side (photography, sewing, reading, gardening) actually restores you in ways sleep alone cannot.

Listen Now:

Ready to discover what becomes possible when you give yourself permission to be seen, celebrated, and pampered? Hit play to explore how boudoir photography is helping women reconnect with parts of themselves they've been too busy to notice!

Links Mentioned:

1. Download the 7-Day Self-Care Reset: Ready to transition from survival mode to thriving? Get started with our free reset designed for high-achieving women who are tired of feeling guilty about prioritizing themselves. [Download here at javerywellness.com/reset]
2. Ready for Deeper Transformation? If this conversation resonated and you're realizing you don't want to carry these patterns alone, our clinicians at Javery Integrative Wellness Services work with women like you every day. Complete your intake form at [javerywellness.com/get-started]
3. Connect with Quail: www.laquelwright.com

Connect with Us:

1. Instagram: @javerywellness
2. Facebook: @JaveryIWS
3. YouTube: @JaveryWellness
4. Website:

In this episode of Owning Pleasure As A Black Woman, we're moving differently this January. Instead of the usual pressure to fix, grind, or reinvent yourself, I'm sharing the three words guiding my 2026: Space, Intuition, and Invest.

Tune in as we explore why creating space isn't selfish—it's essential for capacity. Discover how your intuition didn't disappear, it just got drowned out by years of over-functioning and survival patterns. And learn why investing in yourself before crisis mode isn't indulgent—it's strategic wisdom.

If you're tired of the annual January performance and ready to move through this year with intention instead of pressure, this episode is for you.

● Space = Capacity, Not Laziness: Learn why creating space—internally and externally—is essential for high-achieving women who are constantly running but never truly present. Discover how lack of space shows up as irritability, numbness, and resentment, even toward people and commitments you care about.

● Intuition Is Body-Based Wisdom: Your intuition didn't disappear—it got quieted through years of overriding your body's signals. Explore how to reconnect with the body-based wisdom that helps you make aligned decisions and trust yourself again.

● Investment Is About More Than Money: Discover why choosing support sooner instead of later is strategic, not weak. Learn how investing your time, energy, and resources in yourself before you're depleted creates sustainable thriving instead of constant survival.

Ready to move differently this year? Hit play to discover why creating space, trusting your intuition, and investing in yourself aren't selfish—they're essential for women who are ready to thrive, not just survive.

● Start Therapy with JIWS: Ready to move from understanding to transformation? Our clinicians work with high-achieving women navigating exactly this. Complete the intake form at javerywellness.com/get-started.

● Download the 7-Day Self-Care Reset: Curious about what this work might look like but not ready for therapy yet? Get your free guide designed for women tired of survival mode at javerywellness.com/reset.

● Join Our Email List: Be the first to know about upcoming episodes, resources, and insights for high-achieving women ready to own their pleasure. Sign up here.

1. Instagram: @javerywellness
2. Facebook: @javeryiws
3. YouTube: @javerywellness
4. Website: