My Inner Knowing ~ We're So Complex!

About My Inner Knowing ~ We're So Complex!

Hosted by Theresa Hubbard, LMFT, a licensed mental health professional in the United States. Through compassionate, evidence-informed conversations and guided practices, the podcast explores trauma and nervous system regulation, grief and heartbreak, relationships and attachment, parenting, self-trust, and emotional resilience. Episodes blend clinical insight, reflection, and meditation to support emotional awareness, regulation, and conscious living. Educational content only; not a substitute for therapy or medical care. Theresa commonly utilizes neurofeedback and Shiftwave in her practice.

Publisher

Theresa Hubbard, LMFT

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Jan 2024

Latest episode

23 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

149 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Oct 2026

   Why Can't I Change Something I Already Understand? The Neuroscience of Change With Dr. Irena O'Brien

   What if the reason we struggle to change is not because we lack understanding, motivation, or effort? What if our brains and bodies are responding exactly as they have learned to respond — even when those responses no longer support the life we want to live? In this conversation, Theresa Hubbard, LMFT, sits down with Dr. Irena O'Brien, cognitive neuroscientist and founder of The Neuroscience School, to explore how the brain works, why the nervous system responds the way it does, and what neuroscience can teach us about meaningful change. Together, they explore the brain as a predictive system — constantly anticipating what we may need based on previous experiences. They discuss how stress influences our available energy, why the nervous system may remain activated long after a difficult experience has passed, and why understanding a pattern intellectually does not always change the body's response. One of the most meaningful parts of this conversation is their exploration of relational safety. What happens when someone feels genuinely accepted? What might the nervous system recognize about another person's internal experience before words are spoken? And how much does the therapist's or coach's own nervous system influence the experience of the person sitting with them? Irena also shares openly about her personal experiences with anxiety, complex trauma, acceptance, neurofeedback, and discovering what helps her body experience greater safety. The conversation brings to mind a quote often attributed to Anaïs Nin: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” What might that mean when we consider courage through the lens of the nervous system? Courage is not necessarily the absence of fear. And it is not always about pushing through discomfort or demanding more from ourselves. Sometimes courage is allowing ourselves to experience something unfamiliar. Sometimes it is allowing another person to see us more fully. And sometimes courage begins when our bodies have enough capacity to pause before responding in the way they always have. Perhaps our lives expand not only because we become more courageous, but because our nervous systems begin to experience enough safety for courage to become a choice rather than a demand. Because sometimes we know exactly what we want to change. We understand the pattern. We recognize the cost. And yet, something in us continues to respond in the same familiar way. Perhaps the question is not simply, "Why can't I change?" Perhaps it is: What has my brain and body learned that I have not yet fully understood? And what might become possible when we begin working with that learning rather than fighting against it? How the predictive brain uses past experiences to anticipate and respond Why chronic stress influences energy, recovery, and our capacity for change How relational safety and genuine acceptance influence therapeutic relationships Irena's personal experiences with anxiety, trauma, neurofeedback, and acceptance How curiosity, compassion, and new experiences may support meaningful change Dr. Irena O'Brien is a cognitive neuroscientist and founder of The Neuroscience School. With nearly 30 years of experience studying psychology and neuroscience, she helps coaches, therapists, and helping professionals understand the brain and apply neuroscience to human development and behavior change. She also hosts The Neuroscience of Coaching podcast. https://neuroscienceschool.com (https://neuroscienceschool.com) Theresa Hubbard, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Kansas City Neuroplasticity Institute in Liberty, Missouri. She hosts My Inner Knowing, exploring self-trust, nervous system regulation, relationships, trauma healing, embodiment, and learning to listen inwardly with curiosity and compassion. https://www.theresahubbard.com (https://www.theresahubbard.com) https://www.kcnpi.com (https://www.kcnpi.com) #TheresaHubbard #IrenaOBrien #Neuroscience #NervousSystemRegulation #Neuroplasticity #SelfTrust #RelationalSafety #Courage

2. 

   16 Oct 2026

   Pain Is Real - What Is Your Nervous System Trying To Protect (Part Two)

   In Part Two of this conversation, Theresa Hubbard continues her discussion with Ryan Morris, Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of MindBody Physical Therapy and Pain Reprocessing in Mission, Kansas. This part of the conversation moves deeper into body trust, athletes, identity, somatic tracking, provider humility, and what it means to help the nervous system learn safety over time. Theresa and Ryan explore how pain can become especially complex when it becomes tied to identity — particularly for athletes, high performers, and people who have built a life around being capable, strong, disciplined, or physically reliable. For athletes, injury is rarely just about the injured body part. It can also raise questions about self-worth, belonging, performance, future, purpose, financial security, and the fear of no longer being who they once were. Together, Theresa and Ryan talk about what happens when the body becomes associated with danger, disappointment, pressure, or loss — and how healing may require more than strengthening the tissue or pushing through the movement. This episode also explores somatic tracking, curiosity, graded exposure, and the importance of approaching the body without pressure to perform. Ryan describes how people can begin noticing sensation without immediately fearing it, judging it, or trying to make it go away. The goal is not to force the body into trust. The goal is to create repeated experiences where the body can begin to learn: This sensation may be uncomfortable, but I may still be safe. This movement may feel unfamiliar, but my body may still be capable. This pain may be real, but it may not mean I am broken. Theresa and Ryan also speak honestly about the professional identities of therapists and physical therapists — how providers can become attached to certain models, explanations, or techniques, and how humility and curiosity are needed as research evolves. At the heart of this episode is a compassionate question: How do we help the body trust again after it has learned to protect? Not all at once. Not through force. But through safety, curiosity, repetition, community, and time. • Why athletes often experience pain and injury through the lens of identity • How self-worth can become connected to performance, achievement, and physical ability • Why returning to sport or movement can feel threatening after injury • How chronic pain may become tied to fear, loss, pressure, and old stories • How curiosity helps reduce fear around body sensations • How slow, intentional movement may support flexibility, recovery, and nervous system regulation • Why healthcare providers need humility as pain science continues to evolve • Why healing often requires community, collaboration, and multiple forms of support Ryan Morris is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the owner of MindBody Physical Therapy and Pain Reprocessing in Mission, Kansas. He graduated with his doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2011 and has more than a decade of clinical experience. He is certified as a Therapeutic Pain Specialist and in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. Ryan’s work is grounded in a biopsychosocial, mind-body approach that helps people understand pain through the lens of the nervous system, safety, whole-person care, and the body’s capacity to adapt. Theresa Hubbard, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Kansas City Neuroplasticity Institute in Liberty, Missouri. Her podcast explores self-trust, nervous system regulation, relationships, trauma healing, embodiment, and the process of learning to listen inwardly with more honesty and compassion. Learn more: www.theresahubbard.com (http://www.theresahubbard.com/) www.kcnpi.com (http://www.kcnpi.com/) #TheresaHubbard #MyInnerKnowing #RyanMorris #PainReprocessingTherapy #ChronicPain #NeuroplasticPain #AthleteMentalHealth #BodyTrust #SomaticTracking #PainScience #NervousSystemRegulation #MindBodyHealing #SelfTrust #SomaticHealing #PainRecovery

3. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Pain Is Real - What Is Your Nervous System Trying To Protect - Part One

   In Part One of this conversation, Theresa Hubbard sits down with Ryan Morris, Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of MindBody Physical Therapy and Pain Reprocessing in Mission, Kansas, for a deeply thoughtful conversation about pain, the nervous system, and the stories our bodies learn to tell. Ryan’s work is grounded in a biopsychosocial, mind-body approach that looks at the whole person — not just the body part that hurts. He helps people understand something that can be both relieving and difficult to take in: Pain is real. Deeply real. And pain is not always proof that the body is damaged. Together, Theresa and Ryan explore what many of us were never taught about pain: how the brain predicts danger, how the nervous system tries to protect us, how medical language and imaging can sometimes increase fear, and why chronic pain may continue even after tissue has healed. This is not a conversation about dismissing pain or telling people it is “all in their head.” It is a conversation about honoring the intelligence of the body and understanding pain as part of a protective system — an alarm system that may keep sounding when the brain and body still perceive threat. Ryan explains the difference between tissue injury and neuroplastic pain, why the old idea of “pain receptors” does not fully explain what people experience, and how stress, fear, memory, trauma, identity, medical diagnoses, and past experiences can all shape the way pain shows up. Theresa and Ryan also talk about curiosity, provider language, shame, the lag between research and clinical practice, and why healing often begins when people feel believed, validated, and safe enough to relate to their bodies differently. At the heart of this episode is an invitation: What if pain is not always the body breaking? What if sometimes pain is the nervous system protecting? And what might become possible if the body could begin to learn safety again? • Why pain is real, even when it is not always a sign of tissue damage • How the nervous system functions as a protective alarm system • Why the brain can amplify pain when it perceives danger • The difference between tissue injury and neuroplastic pain • Why imaging, diagnoses, and medical language can sometimes increase fear • How chronic pain can become connected to story, identity, memory, and expectation • Why stress, trauma, weather changes, and life context can influence pain • How the body can continue protecting long after the original danger has passed • Why curiosity matters more than judgment in healing • How providers can unintentionally create more fear or more safety • Why pain reprocessing is not about denying pain, but helping the brain update its prediction • How compassion, graded movement, and safety can support healing Ryan Morris is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and the owner of MindBody Physical Therapy and Pain Reprocessing in Mission, Kansas. He graduated with his doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2011. Certified as a Therapeutic Pain Specialist and in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. Ryan’s work is grounded in a biopsychosocial, mind-body approach that helps people understand pain through the lens of the nervous system, safety, whole-person care, and the body’s capacity to adapt. MindBody Physical Therapy & Pain Reprocessing | Discover Pain Relief Today (https://mindbodyptandpr.com/)Theresa Hubbard, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and founder of Kansas City Neuroplasticity Institute in Liberty, Missouri. Her podcast explores self-trust, nervous system regulation, relationships, trauma healing, embodiment, and the process of learning to listen inwardly with more honesty and compassion. Learn more: www.theresahubbard.com (http://www.theresahubbard.com/) www.kcnpi.com (http://www.kcnpi.com/) #TheresaHubbard #MyInnerKnowing #RyanMorris #ChronicPain #PainReprocessingTherapy #NeuroplasticPain #NervousSystemRegulation #MindBodyHealing #PainScience #SomaticHealing #BodyTrust #TraumaHealing #SelfTrust #PainRecovery #MindBodyPhysicalTherapy

Who has been a guest on My Inner Knowing ~ We're So Complex!

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Brad Hill
• Judith Corvin-Blackburn
• Dr. Joel Bennett

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,285,449

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

6 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

26 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 69 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

81

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

51

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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