Podcasts
Episode 133
What if we approached psychosis with more curiosity, compassion and connection?
In this episode, I talk with Anneke Sips, community psychiatric nurse, integrative trauma therapist and author of The Wisdom of Psychosis. Drawing from nearly three decades of experience in mental health and crisis care, Anneke offers a broader perspective on psychosis—one that considers not only psychiatric symptoms, but also trauma, spirituality, the nervous system and the individual person's lived experience.
Anneke shares how her own experiences with spiritual abuse, loss and leaving the religious community she grew up in influenced her approach to healing. We discuss the stigma surrounding psychosis, how to recognize when someone may need additional support, and why connection can be so important when someone's experience of reality differs from our own.
We also explore the LEAP method—Listen, Empathize, Agree and Partner—and Anneke explains how listening without judgment can help someone feel seen rather than immediately corrected or controlled. Later, we discuss embodiment, nervous-system regulation and how Anneke began integrating yoga into psychiatric settings.
This is a thoughtful conversation about mental health, trauma, spirituality and what can happen when we approach another person's experience with curiosity rather than fear.
Episode 132
In this deeply personal episode, I share about my recent divorce and some of what I'm learning as I move through a season of grief, healing, and letting go.
I didn't leave because all the love disappeared. There was genuine friendship, connection, laughter, healing, and beauty in our marriage—and there were also patterns I eventually realized I could no longer live with. Both can be true. An ending doesn't require us to rewrite the entire story or turn another person into the villain.
I talk about learning to pay attention to behavior rather than only intentions, recognizing the difference between compassion and continued access, listening to what our bodies and intuition may be communicating, and understanding the difference between trying to control another person's choices and establishing our own boundaries.
Most of all, this conversation is about learning that loving someone doesn't require abandoning yourself. Sometimes we can have compassion and still say no. We can appreciate what was beautiful and still grieve what wasn't. And we can give another person the freedom to make their choices while giving ourselves the freedom to respond honestly to them.
Episode 131
In this personal episode, the tables are turned as Sarah J. Thiessen and Heather Hughes interview me about the experiences that shaped who I am today.
I share parts of my journey through a destructive marriage, emotional and spiritual abuse, psychiatric hospitalization, losing trust in myself, and the beliefs about faith and kindness that kept me trying harder instead of recognizing what was happening.
We talk about what eventually changed, how I began rebuilding my life, and why learning to listen to my emotions, establish boundaries, love myself, and trust God differently became such an important part of my healing.
I also share how that journey led me to life coaching, hypnotherapy, Hope Harbor Transitional Living, and eventually Splankna.
Sarah, Heather, and I explore what it means to move from overly kind to empowered kindness—loving others without abandoning yourself in the process.
This is a conversation about faith, healing, self-trust, boundaries, and becoming more fully who God created you to be.
Episode 130
Healthy friendships don't just make life more enjoyable—they matter for our emotional and physical well-being.
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores what makes adult friendship healthy, why meaningful relationships can become harder to build as we get older, and how we can intentionally create deeper connection.
She shares lessons about healing from friendship hurt, trusting gradually, mutuality, honesty, conflict and repair, and learning not to abandon yourself simply to belong.
You'll also hear practical ways to cultivate friendships where you can both know and be known, while making room for different kinds of relationships throughout different seasons of life.
Friendship takes work—but meaningful connection is worth cultivating.
Episode 129
Busyness is often praised—but what happens when productivity becomes a way of avoiding ourselves?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, join me as I explore busyness as an often-overlooked coping mechanism and the emotional, physical, and relational costs of constantly operating at full capacity.
I also shared personal lessons about grief, self-reflection, and learning that being highly productive isn't necessarily the same as being healthy. We will also explore why quiet can feel uncomfortable, what our emotions may be trying to tell us, and how creating more margin can help us live with greater intention.
You'll learn practical ways to incorporate micro-pauses, restorative rest, and regular thinking time into your life so you can reconnect with yourself, your relationships, and God.
This isn't about doing less. It's about becoming more intentional about how—and why—you live.
Episode 128
Healing Masterclass Part 2 explores how unresolved trauma, emotional triggers, and repeating patterns quietly shape our lives—and how healing allows us to move forward with hope.
Through three foundational conversations, Tara Wolfe Schaan explains why understanding your past is only the beginning. True healing also involves recognizing unhealthy patterns, reclaiming your story, and intentionally creating a brighter future.
If you've ever felt trapped in the same emotional cycles or wondered why change feels so difficult, this episode offers practical tools, encouragement, and hope for your healing journey.
Episode 127
In this special compilation episode, Tara Wolfe Schaan brings together three foundational conversations exploring how childhood experiences shape adulthood, why coping often replaces healing, and what it takes to grow into the person you were created to become.
This episode offers practical insights for anyone seeking emotional healing, healthier relationships, and lasting personal growth.
Episode 126
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores what it means to experience true freedom.
Through personal stories and practical insights, she discusses how healing our relationship with ourselves, processing our past, and deepening our relationship with God can transform the way we live.
This conversation offers encouragement for anyone seeking greater authenticity, healing, and freedom.
Episode 125
n this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores the journey of healing from self-abandonment and learning how to reconnect with yourself.
Through her personal story, she discusses how people-pleasing, suppressing emotions, avoiding conflict, and ignoring boundaries can impact our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
This conversation explores finding your voice, honoring your emotions, creating healthier boundaries, and learning to love others without losing yourself.
Episode 124
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores the impact shame can have on our emotional health, relationships, and ability to connect with ourselves and others.
Through personal experiences and reflection, Tara discusses why shame often causes us to hide, the difference between guilt and shame, and how healing begins when we bring our struggles into a safe and compassionate space.
This conversation explores acceptance, forgiveness, self-compassion, faith, and the journey toward greater emotional freedom.
Episode 123
What if the symptoms you’ve been struggling with… are actually hormonal?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara shares her personal experience navigating perimenopause and hormonal changes—and why so many women are left feeling confused, exhausted, anxious, or unlike themselves without understanding why.
Together, we explore:
✨ Common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause
✨ Why women are often undereducated about hormonal health
✨ The emotional and physical impact of hormonal shifts
✨ Bioidentical hormones and hormone replacement therapy
✨ Advocating for your health and finding specialized support
If you’ve ever felt like something was “off” but couldn’t explain it, this conversation may help you better understand what your body is going through.
🎙️ Listen now.
Episode 122
What if your past didn’t have to define your future?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Everdawn Charles shares her powerful journey of healing from childhood trauma, addiction, and emotional pain through faith in Jesus Christ.
Together, we explore trauma, identity, addiction, deeper healing through Splankna, and the hope of redemption no matter your past.
This is Part 3 of the Splankna Series and a powerful reminder that healing is possible.
Episode 121
Healing is possible, even when it feels out of reach.
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara sits down with Heather Hughes—private practitioner, certified life coach, and co-developer of the Splankna Therapy Institute.
Heather shares her personal journey through childhood trauma, emotional healing, and faith, offering insight into how past experiences can impact both emotional and physical health.
Together, they explore the connection between trauma and the body, the importance of understanding one’s identity and authority in faith, and why healing often requires going beyond traditional talk therapy.
This conversation offers a thoughtful perspective on healing, gratitude, and personal transformation through a Christian lens.
Episode 120
What if healing requires going deeper than conscious thought alone?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara sits down with Sarah Thiessen—licensed therapist, founder of the Splankna Training Institute, and author of Splankna: The Redemption of Energy Healing for the Kingdom of God.
Sarah shares her journey from skepticism to developing a Christian mind-body healing protocol designed to help address trauma, emotional wounds, and subconscious patterns that traditional talk therapy may not fully resolve.
Together, they explore faith, trauma healing, spiritual discernment, and the deeper roots of emotional pain through the lens of Sarah’s personal and professional experience.
Episode 119
What if the habit of putting others first has slowly led you to abandon yourself?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores the signs of self-abandonment and how it affects our well-being and sense of self. She shares how patterns like people-pleasing and self-sacrifice disconnect us from our own needs—and how rebuilding self-trust is key to lasting change.
✨ An invitation to choose yourself, honor your voice, and live brighter through self-trust and authentic self-love.
Episode 118
What if the pressure to “stay positive” is actually disconnecting you from yourself?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, Tara explores the hidden impact of toxic positivity and why denying difficult emotions can lead to emotional avoidance, stress, and disconnection. She shares why acknowledging and feeling the full range of emotions is essential for self-awareness, mental health, and authentic living.
✨ An invitation to release the pressure to always be positive, reconnect with your emotional truth, and live brighter with honesty and self-compassion.
Episode 117
What if perfectionism and being “the good one” are quietly disconnecting you from yourself—and others?
In this two-part episode of Live Brighter with Tara, we explore the essence of fierce conversations, the power of authentic connection, and why conversations shape the health of every relationship. Tara shares how to build courage through honest dialogue and offers a simple structure for having conversations that create clarity instead of conflict.
✨ An invitation to speak truth with compassion, strengthen your relationships, and live brighter through authentic connection.
Episode 116
What if sensuality is less about performance and more about presence?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, I’m joined by Susan Beth Breuner for a meaningful conversation about sensuality as self-expression, confidence, and embodied awareness. We explore the feminine gaze, the empowering nature of intimate photography, and how embracing individuality can support personal growth and joy. ✨ A thoughtful invitation to reconnect with your worth, creativity, and authentic self—one intentional moment at a time.
Episode 115
Have you been feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or disconnected—and can’t quite pinpoint why?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, I explore burnout through an emotional, spiritual, and physical lens. Drawing from personal experience, I share how cumulative stress, unprocessed emotions, and prolonged high capacity can lead to deep depletion—and why burnout is often a signal, not a failure.
We talk about how to recognize burnout early, why emotional processing and rest are essential, and how healing happens when we listen to the body with patience, compassion, and care. This conversation offers a grounded, holistic perspective on recovery—one gentle step at a time.
✨ A thoughtful invitation to slow down, reconnect, and support yourself back to wholeness.
Episode 114
What happens when success keeps going—but your capacity doesn’t?
In this episode of Live Brighter with Tara, I sit down with Alisha Fickert, top-producing Realtor who openly shares her journey through burnout following the devastation of the Camp Fire in 2018 and the prolonged strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. What looked like resilience on the outside slowly turned into exhaustion, overwhelm, and disconnection on the inside.
Alicia reflects on how burnout shows up, why so many high-achievers miss the early warning signs, and what it truly takes to recover—not by doing more, but by honoring limits. We talk about the power of boundaries, the necessity of self-care, and why scheduling time for joy isn’t indulgent—it’s essential.
✨ This conversation is for anyone who loves their work but feels stretched thin, reminding us that sustainable success is rooted in well-being, balance, and permission to rest.