Have you ever left a therapy session feeling unseen or unheard? For trauma survivors, that dynamic can end up repeating the very pattern that caused the harm in the first place. In this episode, Riva shares a personal story about an experience with a psychologist, then breaks down the person-centered therapeutic approach why it works for trauma survivors specifically, and why so much of modern therapy misses this piece entirely.

In This Episode

❤️‍🩹 Riva’s personal experience with a psychologist that shaped how she thinks about therapy

❤️‍🩹 What the person-centered approach actually is, and the belief at its foundation

❤️‍🩹Why trauma survivors specifically need their choice and agency handed back to them

❤️‍🩹How Western culture’s “just tell me what to do” conditioning can work against real healing

and more!

Resources
🌹 Go Deeper on Substack

Want more on this topic? Head over to Substack for a deeper, more personal dive into this teaching, including journal prompts and a guided meditation to help you work with it, not just think about it.

Send us Fan Mail

Our intro and outro song, Reclamation (Reborn), is an anthem of remembering.

This song was created as a companion for the healing journey, especially for women reclaiming their voices, their rhythms, and their belonging in a world shaped by patriarchy.

You’re invited to listen, feel, and let the music meet you wherever you are.

Looking for support? Here's how to go deeper:

• Book a Somatic Assessment: Your 75-min 1:1 virtual session to explore what your body is holding and shape a personalized care plan. Book Here
• 1:1 and Group Support: Virtual and in-person offerings. Learn More
• Meditations on Insight Timer: Guided practices for nervous system regulation. Listen Here
• Watch Reclamation: A music video and expressive arts project. Watch Here

Follow on Instagram: @healingherstorypodcast

Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Email riva@windsofchangesac.com or DM @healingherstorypodcast on Instagram.

If you’ve ever finished your bleed and expected to feel that fresh, energized, ready-to-go feeling and instead found yourself anxious, tender, restless, or scattered, this episode is for you. The follicular phase and waxing moon have a reputation for being purely good energy. But that’s not the whole story. In this episode, Riva gets honest about the shadow side of the inner spring, what’s actually happening in the body and nervous system during this time, and three things that have genuinely helped her tend to herself here.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

🌒 Why the highlight reel version of the follicular phase doesn’t tell the whole story and why so many women feel let down by their inner spring

🌒 The connection between trauma, the nervous system, and follicular phase anxiety, and what the research actually shows about this phase for women with complicated childhoods

🌒 Three shadow aspects of the waxing moon and follicular phase: anxiety, restlessness and impatience, and scattered energy that leads to burnout before the cycle even peaks

🌒 Why rising estrogen can amplify unprocessed material from early childhood and what that means for your healing journey

🌒 Three things that have helped Riva most

And more.

Resources to Support You This Week 🌹🤲🏼

🌿 Zoe Griffin — Acupuncture — Riva’s acupuncturist here in Sacramento; highly recommended for working with the wood element and bringing balance to this phase of your cycle

📩 Book Your Intake Call — Riva currently has space for three 1:1 clients before the end of the year; if you’re ready to go deeper with your cycle awareness, this is your next step

Send us Fan Mail

Our intro and outro song, Reclamation (Reborn), is an anthem of remembering.

This song was created as a companion for the healing journey, especially for women reclaiming their voices, their rhythms, and their belonging in a world shaped by patriarchy.

You’re invited to listen, feel, and let the music meet you wherever you are.

Looking for support? Here's how to go deeper:

• Book a Somatic Assessment: Your 75-min 1:1 virtual session to explore what your body is holding and shape a personalized care plan. Book Here
• Free Trauma Recovery Mini-Course: A self-guided intro to trauma recovery and nervous system care. Download Here
• 1:1 and Group Support: Virtual and in-person offerings. Learn More
• Meditations on Insight Timer: Guided practices for nervous system regulation. Listen Here
• Watch Reclamation: A music video and expressive arts project. Watch Here

Follow on Instagram: @healingherstorypodcast

Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Email riva@windsofchangesac.com or DM @healingherstorypodcast on Instagram.

If you’ve been feeling unusually tired, a little flat, or like you just can’t seem to generate the energy you normally have, you are not imagining it. In this week’s Cycle Sync episode, Riva gets honest about what’s actually behind that end-of-year exhaustion, why the new moon in Libra season tends to amplify it, and three grounded, practical ways to actually restore your energy this week (not push through it).

In this episode, you’ll explore:

🌑 Why so many women are feeling depleted right now and how the new moon, autumn, and ten months of output are all converging at once

🌑 The difference between resting and actually restoring and why Netflix on the couch might not be giving your nervous system what it truly needs

🌑 The science of rest: why the female body needs more sleep than we’re typically told, and what happens to our healing when we don’t get it

🌑 What regenerative activities are and how to find the ones that actually rebuild your energy rather than just pass the time

🌑 Why this new moon and Venus retrograde season is such a powerful time to reflect, reassess, and distill down to what actually matters most

And more.

Resources to Support You This Week 🌹🤲🏼

⭐ If today’s episode resonated with you, the best way to support the show is to leave a five-star rating and review or share it with a friend. It truly makes a difference in helping this work reach more women.

Send us Fan Mail

Our intro and outro song, Reclamation (Reborn), is an anthem of remembering.

This song was created as a companion for the healing journey, especially for women reclaiming their voices, their rhythms, and their belonging in a world shaped by patriarchy.

You’re invited to listen, feel, and let the music meet you wherever you are.

Looking for support? Here's how to go deeper:

• Book a Somatic Assessment: Your 75-min 1:1 virtual session to explore what your body is holding and shape a personalized care plan. Book Here
• Free Trauma Recovery Mini-Course: A self-guided intro to trauma recovery and nervous system care. Download Here
• 1:1 and Group Support: Virtual and in-person offerings. Learn More
• Meditations on Insight Timer: Guided practices for nervous system regulation. Listen Here
• Watch Reclamation: A music video and expressive arts project. Watch Here

Follow on Instagram: @healingherstorypodcast

Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Email riva@windsofchangesac.com or DM @healingherstorypodcast on Instagram.