Wake Up Call

I did a terrible job of telling you something this month. On February 8th the podcast celebrated its THIRD anniversary! Three years has gone by so fast, it's hard to believe. I appreciate each and every one of you for supporting this show.

As exciting as this anniversary is, I have to be honest - lately I'm noticing a feeling of being burned out. In the past, I would not have honored this feeling and would've kept pushing through. But as the saying goes, "when you know better, you do better" and I'm recognizing it's time to take a little break.

The podcast is not going away and in this episode I share more about the decision of taking a break. I wanted to acknowledge the break and give you the "why" behind it rather than doing what's known as a pod fade (going away without ever being heard from again).

This podcast has been an amazing outlet, allowing me to explore interests that lie outside of my 9-5. I'm excited to come back bringing the best energy I can rather than creating out of pressure that I put on myself (can you relate?!).

Thank you for supporting this show and I can't wait to be back with you again soon!

It can be an overwhelming feeling when a relationship has lost intimacy. It can be even harder to figure out how to get it back. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not as simple as having a weekly date night or scheduled sex on the calendar. We need to understand the type of intimacy we’re seeking (yes, there are different kinds of intimacy, not just sex) and be vulnerable to communicate those needs. But why does that sound so daunting?

In this episode my guest Daniela Stevens shares her insights on this vulnerable topic by helping us understand:

• What intimacy means and the different kinds of intimacy in relationships

• The impact of busy, fast-paced lives on intimacy in relationships

• How conditioning and society has shaped our view of what intimacy is “supposed” to look like

• What a sex practice is and why it might be right for your relationship

Be sure to check out the special gift Daniela shared for listeners of the Wake Up Call podcast episode here:danielastevens.com/podcast

DanielaStevens(she/they) is a trauma- and attachment-informed certified Sex and Intimacy Coach for couples and individuals of all bodies and all expressions. She supports people to experience deep sexual connection and intimacy with themselves and their partner name by addressing the intersections of personal experience with multiple systems of oppression and by guiding them to clarify, connect, communicate, heal, and co-create the sex they want and the intimacy they desire.

Connect with Daniela!

Website

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I love personal development work and I'm guessing you do too (since you've found this podcast). Whether it's books, podcasts, and/or working with coaches, focusing on self-improvement can feel expansive and invite growth into your life.

But what happens when the excitement of personal development starts to fade? Your favorite podcast doesn't land anymore and you want nothing to do with yet another self-improvement book.

You know what I think this signals? You're building self-trust, which in my opinion, is the real goal of personal development work. To enter a phase of trusting yourself, your decisions, and your abilities.

In this shortie episode I talk about:

• Maxing out on personal development work.

• Taking a break is a great time to integrate the work you've been doing.

• Podcasts, books, and coaches are great supportive resources NOT instruction guides on how to live your life.

Last year, the most listened to episode of the podcast was about how to calm yourself down when you are in an anxious state. This really stuck with me. It shows me how many of us are still struggling with anxiety and want to know how to feel better.

If you relate to this feeling, I want to let you know something - anxiety doesn’t have to control you.

When I was at the height of my experience with anxiety, I used to think I would never feel ok again.

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing some things I want you to know if you find yourself in this uncomfortable place.

Some things I unpack:

• Sitting with the feelings and sensation of anxiety is uncomfortable but also your secret weapon to changing the dynamic.

• Your body isn’t working against you by giving symptoms of anxiety. When you learn to interpret the signals, you start to see anxiety through a different lens.

• Anxiety doesn’t “go away,” it will be with you in different seasons of life but how you relate to it makes all the difference.

I hope this episode serves as a form of encouragement to let you know what’s possible when you start working with your anxiety, rather than fearing it.

If you need support in calming yourself down if your anxiety is heightened, check out Episode 61.

Connect with Me!

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aliciadhopkins/

It’s the new year and with that comes the chatter around goals, resolutions, and making big change in your life.

I don’t know about you, but the “new year, new you” vibe doesn’t resonate with me like it used to. In fact, I think it’s a bunch of bullshit blocking us from one of the most powerful energies for change out there: self-acceptance.

In this episode, I’m chatting with dietitian Kim Tasker, about what self-acceptance means and how it helps to expand who we are as a person, so we can stop chasing the unrealistic expectations we place on ourselves.

Some things we unpack in the episode:

• The impact of perfectionism, fear, and judgment on your goals and how it leads to a forced, rigid mindset.

• What self-acceptance actually means (hint hint..it doesn’t mean giving up on yourself).

• The connection between extreme goals and overcompensating for areas of your life where you feel lack.

• How the nervous system and chronic stress influence goal setting.

I hope this episode is a loving reminder that you don’t have to become a totally new person this year – the person you are is already enough.

Kim Tasker is an Intuitive Eating and Mindset Dietitian who is passionate about helping others build a relationship with themselves that is based in compassion, acceptance, and love. Kim’s takes a somatic approach to help women move from overwhelm to confident and clear-headed.

Connect with Kim:

Instagram

Somatic Digest Podcast

Website

Check out Kim’s free body image training for WUC podcast listeners:Body image training

Transitions are an inevitable part of life. From excitement (buying a new home, yay!) to stress (moving is so much work!), transitions take us through a huge range of emotions, and the inbetween space can bring tons of uncertainty. Enter our guest, Ashley DuFresne, the CEO & Founder of Authentic Embodiment. In this episode, Ashley will walk us through how to handle life transitions with peace and grace so we can step into our next chapter feeling empowered.

Ashley DuFresne is a Paradigm Shifter; CEO and Founder of Authentic Embodiment. She is Master Channel and Energy Alchemist, and Soul-Led Business Mentor who supports visionary leaders in transition and guides them into the highest expression of their legacy. Ashley integrates Energetics and Channeling with Behavioral and Neuro- Psychology to initiate Quantum Rite of Passage™ experiences. Her method provides a systemic approach to change, healing, and growth that launches her clients to quantum leap into the timeline of their highest success— the one where they’re making the greatest impact while living in ease, pleasure, and prosperity.

Connect with Ashley:

• Instagram

• Website

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Liminal space is the transition time between where you were and where you’re going next. It includes emotional, mental, and physical transitions and seasons of life, and it can hold a lot of uncertainty.

• When we’re in the liminal space, we’re naturally attracted to what feels familiar and safe. We might venture back into relationships, habits, or environments we’ve outgrown just to feel some certainty.

• High performers tend to rush through transition periods out of anxiety or fear because they want the “achievement” of getting through it. Instead, let yourself sit in the uncertainty and take your time moving through it.

Welcome to the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins (that’s me!). My goal in this podcast is to share valuable and actionable tips on what I call the “Core Four” - mindfulness, movement, habits, and growth - so you can build a life that feels true to you. I will be interviewing people who have had a “wake up call” that their good-on-paper life wasn’t lighting them up, and what they did to change that. Join us every week for a new episode of the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins!

Connect with Me!

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We all experience marriage troubles, but we rarely talk about our struggles for fear of shame or judgment. In this episode, Betsy Pake is back on the podcast to lay it all out on the table. She shares her own experience of leaving her marriage and the energetic shift that changed the trajectory of her relationship. Betsy also shares signs to look out for to signal what your next move should be, and how she can support you if you need it!

Betsy Pake is an architect of quantum leaps known for creating such quick shifts her clients say their lives have been flipped on its head. Board-certified as a Trainer of NLP and Hypnotherapy, she founded The Alchemy Institute where she trains life coaches and therapists and over the past decade has worked as a master coach to help women who are on the journey of big life changes. Find her on her podcast, The Art of Living Big each week as she explores how to thrive even when “life” is happening! Betsy lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, has a daughter nearby and is obsessed with her dog Henry... and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Connect with Betsy!

• Website

• The Art of Living Big Podcast

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• You have to be honest with yourself when you’re in a situation where you’re miserable. It’s normal for relationships to have ups and downs, but when you start growing apart instead of together, you need to take a hard look at your relationship.

• There’s a lot of confusion and shame that can come from getting divorced, and it’s easy to hide from the causes and then repeat that pattern in future relationships. Make sure you’re doing the work on yourself to be your freest, happiest self.

• Sometimes leaving isn’t the answer, and instead you need to adjust some things in the relationship. Figuring out ways to infuse more joy and connection into your relationship beyond the occasional date night is crucial.

Welcome to the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins (that’s me!). My goal in this podcast is to share valuable and actionable tips on what I call the “Core Four” - mindfulness, movement, habits, and growth - so you can build a life that feels true to you. I will be interviewing people who have had a “wake up call” that their good-on-paper life wasn’t lighting them up, and what they did to change that. Join us every week for a new episode of the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins!

Connect with Me!

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  YouTube⁠

Do you ever feel like your days are ruled by tasks you feel like you have to do, or should be doing according to other people’s expectations, or according to what the clock says? In this episode, my friend Leanne Knight - a graphic designer and entrepreneur - joins me to unpack how we can take back our time and structure our days with tasks and routines that make us feel more connected to our bodies.

Leanne Knight is the owner of Authentic Vision Media and is a graphic designer for thought leaders, coaches, and healers who desire to change the world through their expertise. Leanne weaves their branding and personality into all their marketing visuals so that they feel polished, confident, and ready to speak their truth. From social media graphics to course workbooks, she creates visuals with a focus on impact, clarity, and shareability.

Connect with Leanne!

• Get 15% off your Brand & Messaging Audit

• Website

• Instagram

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• The work culture we operate in can have a big impact on tying our exhaustion to our income. We start wearing exhaustion as a badge of honor and fear what will happen to our income if we prioritize rest and boundaries.

• Listen to your body’s signals and don’t worry about how it aligns with the time of day. Denying yourself food when you’re hungry, sleep when you’re tired, or a bathroom break when you’ve gotta go is disconnecting yourself from your body.

• There are some things we simply have to do, even if we don’t want to do them, like washing dishes or tedious admin tasks. But, we can reframe those actions as getting us closer to how we ultimately want to feel and spend our time.

Welcome to the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins (that’s me!). My goal in this podcast is to share valuable and actionable tips on what I call the “Core Four” - mindfulness, movement, habits, and growth - so you can build a life that feels true to you. I will be interviewing people who have had a “wake up call” that their good-on-paper life wasn’t lighting them up, and what they did to change that. Join us every week for a new episode of the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins!

Connect with Me!

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• Facebook

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Welcome to the 100th episode of the Wake Up Call Podcast! To celebrate, we’re premiering a new look, new intro and music, and a personal wake up call that’s been on my mind lately! In this episode, I’m sharing how I realized that two goals I’ve had on my list for forever were really just me forcing myself into a version of myself that isn’t actually true to me. Instead, I’m shifting those goals and releasing myself of the pressure to fit into those expectations.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• There’s been two areas in my life that I’ve struggled to make forward progress in, and it’s been frustrating as someone who’s an achiever and goes after what she wants. Releasing myself of these lingering goals has lifted so much weight off my shoulders.

• I spent so much time and money on coaches and accountability partners, and it felt like none of the effort was getting me where I wanted. I started questioning if something is wrong with me, instead of questioning if these goals made sense for me anymore.

• When we can learn to accept ourselves, we can tackle our goals and create the lives we want from a place of abundance, rather than a place of feeling like we’re lacking or aren’t enough as we are.

Welcome to the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins (that’s me!). My goal in this podcast is to share valuable and actionable tips on what I call the “Core Four” - mindfulness, movement, habits, and growth - so you can build a life that feels true to you. I will be interviewing people who have had a “wake up call” that their good-on-paper life wasn’t lighting them up, and what they did to change that. Join us every week for a new episode of the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins!

Connect with Me!

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube

If you’ve ever tried to make a change in your life, but felt stuck and unsure of how to move forward, there’s probably a part of your identity that’s causing that resistance. In this episode, I’m joined by Katie LaCelle to chat about Internal Family Systems - or IFS for short - which is a therapy modality that helps us get curious about all the parts of ourselves to make lasting change and regulate our nervous systems.

Katie LaCelle is a somatic IFS practitioner who is passionate about helping people uncover their own internal wise leaders and reconnect with their deepest embodied intuition. IFS, or internal family systems, is a trauma-informed therapy modality that can help you get present, rewire your brain, and regulate your nervous system. In her spare time, Katie coaches circus and performs on the flying trapeze.

Connect with and say hello to Katie on:

• Instagram

• Website

• Free Guide on finding personalized moments of peace and grounding

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Internal Family Systems - or IFS - is a process of getting familiar with all the different aspects of your personality, getting curious about the patterns we follow and how we learned those, and what we want to do differently moving forward.

• We all have different parts or subpersonalities of ourselves, such as “the perfectionist,” “the scientist,” that can conflict with each other. It’s important to practice “unblending” from those parts so no single one of them is running the show.

• Some ways to identify these parts of yourself are to ask yourself: what is keeping me up at night? When do I put too much pressure on myself, and where does that come from? What makes me feel ashamed, and what’s my reaction to that feeling of shame?

Welcome to the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins (that’s me!). My goal in this podcast is to share valuable and actionable tips on what I call the “Core Four” - mindfulness, movement, habits, and growth - so you can build a life that feels true to you. I will be interviewing people who have had a “wake up call” that their good-on-paper life wasn’t lighting them up, and what they did to change that. Join us every week for a new episode of the Wake Up Call Podcast with Alicia Hopkins!

Connect with Me!

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