There is a version of “getting your life together” that looks impressive on the outside… But inside, you’re still disconnected, overwhelmed, and avoiding what actually needs attention.

In this episode, Amber breaks down the critical difference between numbing and healing. From overworking and over-socializing to wellness routines that look healthy but function as a distraction. Amber explains how many of us are performing healing instead of actually doing it.

She shares candid personal examples and client patterns that reveal a hard truth: staying busy, productive, spiritual, or disciplined can still be a way of running from grief, anger, fear, or unmet needs. She reminds us: “Relief is not the same as repair. Numbing postpones. Healing asks you to stay…”

Amber unpacks how social media wellness culture and therapy speak can reinforce avoidance, why coping tools are often mistaken for healing, and how unchecked numbing quietly postpones the breakthroughs we’re longing for.

Reflection questions:

• What am I feeling that I’m trying to avoid?
• Am I running toward something, or running away from something?
• How do I feel after I do the thing, relieved but anxious, or tired but more whole?
• What would happen if I sat with this feeling instead of escaping it?
• What am I afraid might surface if I slowed down?

Tune in as this episode is an invitation to stop checking boxes and start staying present.

🛍️ Shop Amber’s Be A Good Human merch:
https://www.ambercabral.com/merch

Amber’s substack | https://humaningwell.substack.com/

www.humaningwellpodcast.com/

Amber Cabral

IG | @bamcabral

LinkedIn | @ambercabral

Facebook | @amber.cabral

X | @BamCabral

Bluesky | @bamcabral.bsky.social

Watch Amber’s TED TALK here.

You can purchase Amber's books from the retailer of your choice here: https://www.ambercabral.com/books/

Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture

Say More About That: ...And Other Ways to Speak Up, Push Back, and Advocate for Yourself and Others

Human(ing) Well is produced by

EPYC Media Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This episode marks the official beginning of a deeper season of Human(ing) Well.

In this first episode of 2026, Amber Cabral names something she has not said out loud enough before: humaning well was never meant to be clean, sterile, or palatable. While the four pillars of the Human(ing) Well framework: health, wealth, relationships, and growth remain the same, the way Amber is willing to talk about what lives inside those pillars is evolving.

Today, Amber reflects on why earlier conversations stayed closer to what felt professionally acceptable and politically correct, and why that approach, while not wrong, was incomplete. She explains how avoiding topics like desire, intimacy, shame, the body, attachment, fear, power, and unspoken needs keep people fragmented and stuck, even when they are doing everything “right” on the surface. People struggle because of what is happening inside them - the parts of themselves they have been taught not to name.

This episode sets the tone for the season ahead. You will hear why being mindful and respectful with language still matters deeply, and why avoiding the full range of human experience in the name of safety or professionalism actually limits healing.

Reflection Questions:

• Where have I been honest, but not whole?
• What parts of my experience feel off-limits, even to myself?
• What am I avoiding because it feels messy, exposing, or uncomfortable?
• What might become possible if I allowed myself to examine all of me, not just the respectable parts?

If you are willing to stay with the discomfort of deeper honesty, Amber believes this season will be profoundly liberating.

🛍️ Shop Amber’s Be A Good Human merch:
https://www.ambercabral.com/merch

Amber’s substack | https://humaningwell.substack.com/

www.humaningwellpodcast.com/

Amber Cabral

IG | @bamcabral

LinkedIn | @ambercabral

Facebook | @amber.cabral

X | @BamCabral

Bluesky | @bamcabral.bsky.social

Watch Amber’s TED TALK here.

You can purchase Amber's books from the retailer of your choice here: https://www.ambercabral.com/books/

Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture

Say More About That: ...And Other Ways to Speak Up, Push Back, and Advocate for Yourself and Others

Human(ing) Well is produced by

EPYC Media Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this final episode of Human(ing) Well this year, Amber focuses on the Growth Pillar and explains why real growth is not about achievement, perfection, or checking boxes… it is about identity, alignment, and who you are becoming. She reflects on her own growth season, the discomfort that comes with evolving, and why trying to change outcomes without changing your self-concept never lasts.

Amber breaks down why most people enter a new year chasing habits, routines, and results, while ignoring the deeper work of identity. She then explains how behavior follows belief, why growth requires honesty and repetition, and how choosing yourself on purpose is often the hardest and most necessary step.

It’s time to stop striving for perfection and start building a life that feels good from the inside out. Tune in and enter the year 2026 with clarity, intention, and a grounded sense of self.

📝 Reflection Questions:

• Who am I becoming, and how does that version of me move, speak, choose, and care for themselves?
• What patterns or habits from this year cannot come with me if I want to evolve?
• What am I willing to practice consistently to support my growth next year?
• What environments, routines, or relationships support who I’m becoming - and which ones don’t?

🎧 Episodes to Revisit:

• Episode 5: You Won’t Always Be Right
• Episode 24: You Can Have Whatever You Want
• Episode 33: Elevating Your Baseline

🛍️ Shop Amber’s Be A Good Human merch:
https://www.ambercabral.com/merch

Amber’s substack | https://humaningwell.substack.com/

www.humaningwellpodcast.com/

Amber Cabral

IG | @bamcabral

LinkedIn | @ambercabral

Facebook | @amber.cabral

X | @BamCabral

Bluesky | @bamcabral.bsky.social

Watch Amber’s TED TALK here.

You can purchase Amber's books from the retailer of your choice here: https://www.ambercabral.com/books/

Allies and Advocates: Creating an Inclusive and Equitable Culture

Say More About That: ...And Other Ways to Speak Up, Push Back, and Advocate for Yourself and Others

Human(ing) Well is produced by

EPYC Media Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.