After a solid pause, I’m back.

In this impromptu re-entry episode, I’m sharing an honest update on where I’ve been, what the last year stripped away, and why this new season feels grounded, clear, and deeply different.

I reflect on last year as a time of intense shedding — across identity, relationships, career, health, and self — and what it was like to sit in the in-between after everything old fell away, but before the new fully took root.

I also take you behind the scenes of how chronic stress and nervous system overload impacted my body and wellbeing — and the gentle, sustainable approach I’m taking to rebuild from the inside out. No extremes. No perfection. Just real life, habit by habit.

In this episode, I share:

• What last year revealed when the “lights came on”
• Why slowing down was essential for true integration
• How stress, routine loss, and midlife shifts impacted my health
• The realistic way I’m rebuilding strength, movement, sleep, and nourishment
• Why structure can be a form of self-care (not control)
• The creative and career shifts that led me back to podcasting and writing
• How this podcast is evolving — more levity, real conversation, and lived experience
• What’s coming next, and why this chapter feels rooted rather than rushed

Think of this episode as a voice note to catch you up — and an invitation into a softer, more honest way of moving forward.

✨ Join The Well Circle on Substack ✨

My newsletter and community space for deeper connection, healing and sharing all things motherhood, midlife, growth and wellbeing.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Reflections, stories, and behind-the-scenes shares you won’t hear on the podcast
• Practices and insights to support your nervous system and daily rhythm
• A space to feel less alone in the mess and magic of midlife and motherhood
• Real conversation, community, and sisterhood — without pressure or performance

Join us here:

👉 https://mishanicolevayner.substack.com/subscribe

Support the show

Healing Chronic Illness, Self-Abandonment & Coming Home to Yourself

The moment I stumbled across Nitika Chopra’s Truth Talks column on Substack, I was instantly pulled in. Her courageous vulnerability stood out in a space that often feels filtered and performative. I was immediately curious: what’s the root of this kind of strength, clarity, and embodied self-love?

I discovered that Nitika had spent years navigating life with multiple chronic illnesses — including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and myasthenia gravis — all while trying to find answers inside a broken medical system.

Her healing journey wasn’t linear or shiny — it was layered, painful, and, as she says, a pilgrimage. One that led her back home to herself.

Since then, Nitika has built a life and career grounded in radical self-trust, authenticity, and purpose. She’s:

• The founder of Chronicon, a movement and event series centering people with chronic illness
• The creator of The Chronicon Foundation, which expands access and equity in healthcare and wellness
• A powerful writer and storyteller, sharing deeply on her Substack Truth Talks
• A mentor and guide to others navigating healing through her Life Mastery Incubator

In this powerful conversation, we explore:

• The emotional and spiritual toll of living with chronic illness
• How grief, shame, and emotional abandonment shaped Nitika’s early identity
• Her journey through codependency, misalignment, and self-abandonment
• The practices that helped her reclaim her body, voice, and boundaries
• Why ancestral healing, nervous system work, and self-belonging were keys to her recovery
• The difference between authentic sharing and overexposing yourself online

🔗 Connect with Nitika:

• Substack: The Truth with Nitika Chopra
• Instagram: @nitikachopra
• Chronicon: chronicon.co

Have a question you’d love me to explore on the show?

🎙️ Send your voice note here: https://www.speakpipe.com/YWLTheDeepWell

✨ Your Well Life just got an upgrade. ✨

Subscribe to the premium version of the podcast for exclusive, locked episodes that go beyond the surface for $8/month

Subscribe now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2384460/subscribe

✨ Join The Well Circle on Substack✨

Misha’s private community space for deeper healing, sisterhood, and ongoing support.

Inside you’ll receive:

• FREE access to the Your Well Life Podcast Premium with exclusive episodes
• Monthly video trainings with simple but powerful practices to support your nervous system, realign your rhythm, and bring more ease to your every day
• Unfiltered Voice-note shares to help you feel less alone in the mess and magic of motherhood
• Access to our private chat space for real conversations and connection with our community
• Access to optional 1:1 support sessions for when you need extra care

Join us here: https://mishanicolevayner.substack.com/subscribe

Support the show

What if motherhood wasn’t just something you do, but something you become? In this deeply validating conversation, I’m joined by the incredible Jesse Harold—coach, doula, and author of MotherShift—to explore the often-overlooked transformation known as matrescence: the radical, messy, beautiful evolution of becoming a mother.

We talk about what it really means to navigate this identity shift, why the “bounce back” narrative is damaging, and the real reasons so many of us feel like we’re failing. From invisible labor and motherhood rage to the systemic pressures that leave moms under-resourced and overburdened, we go all the way in.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:59 Understanding Matrescence
• 07:22 The Evolution of Motherhood
• 15:03 The Concept of Self-Tending
• 29:30 Systemic Challenges in Modern Motherhood
• 56:44 Understanding and Validating Motherhood Rage
• 01:03:26 The Mental and Emotional Load in Partnerships
• 01:21:12 Empowering Mothers and Transformation Literacy

✨ Your Well Life just got an upgrade. ✨

Subscribe to the premium version of the podcast for exclusive, locked episodes that go beyond the surface.

💛 For $8/month, you’ll unlock hidden soul-led reflections not shared anywhere else.

Subscribe now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2384460/subscrib

✨ Want more than just our podcast drops?✨

Join The Well Circle on Substack! Inside you’ll receive:

• FREE access to the Your Well Life Podcast Premium with exclusive episodes
• Monthly video trainings (also available audio only podcast style) with simple but powerful practices to support your nervous system, realign your rhythm, and bring more ease to your every day
• Unfiltered Voice-note shares to help you feel less alone in the mess and magic of motherhood
• Access to our private chat space for real conversations and connection with our community
• Access to optional 1:1 support sessions for when you need extra care

Join us here: https://mishanicolevayner.substack.com/subscribe

🎙 Have a question you’d love me to explore on the show?

Send me a voice note — I’d love to hear what’s on your heart. I’ll respond in a future episode with trauma-conscious guidance, real talk, and tools to support you. 💛 Send it here: https://www.speakpipe.com/YWLTheDeepWell

Connect with our Guest Jessie Harold!

www.jessieharrold.com

Grab her book: Mothershift

https://www.jessieharrold.com/mothershiftbook/

Check out her 3-month Mothershift support program!

https://www.jessieharrold.com/mothershift/

🔥 Grab our workshop ‘The Art of Thriving’ Method!

A proven, trauma-informed system to help you break free from burnout, overwhelm, and survival mode—so you can finally feel nourished, energized, and in flow with your life.

https://mishavayner.kit.com/products/the-reclaim-thrive-method-a-trauma-informed-

👩‍💻 Grab the FREE Align & Thrive Workbook!

A gentle, guided workbook to help you reconnect with yourself, build rhythms that feel good in your body, and bring more ease to your everyday life.

Support the show