EP 52: Why Safe Love Feels Scary, Even When It’s Everything You Asked For

In this heartfelt and deeply embodied season finale, Lauren Zoeller reflects on the quiet power of choosing love, safety, and softness—long before they show up in your physical reality. From a simple hike with her family to the unfolding of her dream life, Lauren walks you through what it really takes to manifest a relationship, a home, and a life that feels as good as it looks.This episode isn’t just a recap of Season 2. It’s a reminder that nervous system safety—not hustle, control, or doing more—is what creates sustainable love, joy, and success. Lauren also shares a vulnerable behind-the-scenes look at her own journey, why she’s stepping into full transparency for Season 3, and how you can begin choosing your future self now… even before it all arrives.If love feels scary, or if you’re still trying to “get there” before allowing yourself to feel it—this one’s for you.Key Points From This Episode:Why love, joy, and peace don’t arrive after the thing—you choose them before it manifestsWhat it means to orient to the energy of your future self in micro-moment choicesThe difference between doing more and becoming the version of you who receives moreHow Lauren manifested her family and partnership by learning the language of her nervous systemWhy survival energy feels like productivity—and how to shift into softness and receivingA behind-the-scenes peek at Season 3 and why it’s going to be Lauren’s most intimate season yetQuotes From the Episode:“You don’t manifest love by chasing it. You become the woman who already has it—and then it arrives.” “It wasn’t one big moment that changed everything. It was a thousand micro choices I made when nothing around me matched the vision I held.” “Safety didn’t arrive after the relationship. The relationship arrived because I made safety my baseline.” “If your nervous system is still wired for survival, love will always feel unfamiliar—even when it’s right in front of you.” “You can’t orient to joy if your body still thinks fear is the only safe place.”Links Mentioned in Today’s EpisodeLauren ZoellerLauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on Instagram Lauren Zoeller on X Lauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookManifest Your Dream RelationshipThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast 

In this gentle, grounding, and deeply somatic episode, Lauren Zoeller invites you into a conversation most high-achieving women have never been taught to have: What if your low energy days are not setbacks but sacred invitations to slow down and listen?Responding to a listener question inside her HOME membership, Lauren shares how she meets her body on the days she feels off, depleted, or uninspired and why your nervous system doesn’t need a productivity hack… it needs your presence.This episode is a permission slip to stop performing wellness and start practicing compassion. Because regulating your nervous system isn’t about doing more. It’s about honoring what’s already true.If you’ve ever felt shame for resting, guilt for canceling, or frustration that your energy isn’t “consistent,” this episode will feel like a long, exhaling breath.Key Points From This Episode:Why low energy days are not problems to solve—but signals to receiveThe real reason you feel urgency to “get it together” when you’re tiredLauren’s personal rituals for nervous system nourishment (yes, sourdough is one)How to build a personalized toolkit of regulation—not based on trends, but on truthThe surprising intelligence behind why your body dips into stillnessWhat to ask your body instead of “How do I fix this?”Why grace and self-compassion are the highest indicators of healingQuotes:“Low energy isn’t a flaw in your system. It’s a message from your body, asking you to listen.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:01:58]“Your body doesn’t want to be fixed. It wants to be felt.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:03:44]“Healing doesn’t mean high energy every day. It means knowing how to meet yourself on the low ones.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:06:51]“We’ve been taught that urgency is responsible. But urgency is often just unprocessed survival energy.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:07:38]Links Mentioned in Today’s EpisodeLauren ZoellerLauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on Instagram Lauren Zoeller on X Lauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookManifest Your Dream RelationshipThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast 

In this raw, validating, and deeply somatic episode, Lauren Zoeller takes you behind the scenes of her signature membership, HOME, to explore one of the most disorienting parts of nervous system healing: when the love you’ve always wanted finally shows up—and your body starts to panic.Pulling from real questions asked inside her community, Lauren unpacks what’s really going on when safe love feels unfamiliar, why your survival system confuses calm with danger, and how to stop sabotaging the very thing you’ve been calling in.This episode is a reminder that healthy love isn’t always “easy” for the nervous system—it’s new. And new doesn’t always feel safe… until it does.If you’ve ever run from someone kind, gotten the “ick” when things got real, or spiraled into worst-case scenarios with someone who actually shows up—this conversation will ground you in the truth: You’re not broken. You’re just healing. Key Points From This Episode:Why secure love can trigger panic when your body is wired for survivalHow “safety” can feel boring—or even unsafe—when chaos is your baselineA personal story of how Lauren almost walked away from her healthy relationship (and what stopped her)What’s actually happening when you fantasize worst-case scenarios in a healthy relationshipWhy deeper healing begins after love arrives—not beforeHow to regulate your nervous system instead of running, fixing, or fawningThe importance of learning to co-regulate inside safe partnership Quotes:“Safe love doesn’t always feel safe at first. Especially when your body’s used to earning love, not receiving it.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:11:02] “I was standing at the door with my bags packed. And I had to ask my body: are we leaving… or are we just scared?” — Lauren Zoeller [00:07:45] “Your nervous system will always choose what’s familiar over what’s healthy—until you show it a new way.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:21:09]Links Mentioned in Today’s EpisodeLauren ZoellerLauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on Instagram Lauren Zoeller on X Lauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookManifest Your Dream Relationship TrainingThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast 

In this honest and expansive conversation, Lauren is joined by her close friend and intuitive spiritual advisor Jenni Conn to explore what healing really looks like inside a committed relationship.From the outside, aligned love might look like the end goal. But as Lauren and Jenni share, it’s actually the beginning of the deepest unraveling—and the deepest reclamation of self.Whether you’re single, in partnership, or somewhere in between, this episode is a wake-up call to the patterns you’ve normalized in love and the power you hold to choose something different.Through personal stories, astrological insight, and somatic truth bombs, Jenni and Lauren dive deep into the parts of us that still try to perform, prove, and protect in love—and how to meet those parts with radical honesty and compassion.Key Points From This Episode:Why most of us are not addicted to people—we’re addicted to the emotional highs and lows of our survival patternsHow healing can only go so far outside of relationship—and what becomes available when you're finally safe enough to feel it all inside partnershipThe hidden danger of labeling your ex as a “narcissist” or “sociopath”—and how those labels might be keeping you stuckJenni’s raw story of betrayal, abandonment, and taking radical responsibility in her marriage of 7 yearsThe difference between emotional intelligence, emotional maturity, and emotional eleganceWhy your resentment, neediness, or meltdown moments are actually calls from your inner childHow to move from shaming yourself into healing to meeting yourself with reverence and choiceThe role of astrology in understanding your emotional patterns and personal evolutionQuotes:“You’re a victim once… but then you become addicted to the wound.” – Jenni Conn“I thought if I did enough, proved enough, helped enough, then maybe I’d be loved. But I was addicted to earning love—because I didn’t yet believe I deserved it without effort.” – Lauren Zoeller“Most people don’t want to look in the mirror and admit: I’m the one repeating this. But that’s where the freedom is.” – Jenni Conn“Compassion is the portal. Without it, your inner child will always feel like she has to earn her place.” – Lauren Zoeller“We have to stop diagnosing people and start asking: what was my part in continuing this pattern?” – Jenni ConnLinks Mentioned in Today’s EpisodeJenni Conn on Instagram Jenni Conn The Experience RetreatTennessee Fertility InstituteLauren ZoellerLauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on Instagram Lauren Zoeller on X Lauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast 

In this rich, magnetic, and deeply embodied episode, Lauren Zoeller sits down with the original Money Queen herself—Amanda Frances—to explore what happens when a woman who has it all… opens to more.Amanda gets real about the evolution that came after building her multimillion-dollar brand: how love didn’t land until she stopped performing for it, why freedom was never something she had to give up, and how motherhood cracked her open in ways her business never could.Together, she and Lauren explore the intersection of love, feminine power, and nervous system expansion—debunking the myth that you have to shrink to receive a relationship, and showing what it actually looks like to have both success and softness.If you’ve ever feared that partnership would cost you your independence… or believed love had a deadline… this conversation will recalibrate your timeline, your desires, and your belief in what's possible.Key Points From This Episode:Why love didn’t land until Amanda stopped trying to manifest it like moneyThe difference between alignment and forcing—and how to tell the differenceWhat it really looks like to date with an open heart and high standardsHow motherhood and stepmotherhood reshaped Amanda’s nervous systemAmanda’s unapologetic take on freedom, intimacy, and not compromisingHow the structure of her life and business shifted after having kidsThe story of how she met her partner (hint: it involves Louboutins + a late-night deli)Why love doesn’t have to feel like a choice—it can feel like desireQuotes: “I stopped choosing love like it was a task. I just wanted him. And that changed everything.” — Amanda Frances [01:02:45] “I built the empire. But letting love in—that was the real expansion.” — Amanda Frances [00:14:33] “You don’t have to lose your freedom to receive real love. You just have to stop micromanaging it.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:38:01]Links Mentioned in Today’s EpisodeAmanda Frances on Instagram Amanda FrancesRich as F*ck by Amanda FrancesTurning Sh*t Into God with Amanda FrancesTennessee Fertility Institute Lauren Zoeller Lauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on Instagram Lauren Zoeller on X Lauren Zoeller on TikTok Lauren Zoeller on FacebookThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast 

Trigger Warning: This episode and the poem shared include mentions of suicide, sexual assault, hospitalization, and chronic illness. Please listen with care and step away if needed.In this powerful, poetic, and deeply embodied conversation, Lauren Zoeller is joined by entrepreneur and former client Johanna Buchweitz to explore what happens when a high-achieving woman finally lets go. Johanna opens up about the unraveling of her high-performance identity, the pain of suppressed trauma coming to the surface, and the unexpected beauty that emerged through somatic healing. Together, she and Lauren dive into what it truly means to stop performing, integrate nervous system safety, and surrender to the truth of who you are. Johanna shares how walking away from success as she knew it led to a deeper kind of wholeness—and how her healing journey birthed a poem, The Spirit of Surrender, that is now being developed into a feature film.This episode includes a live performance of that very poem—raw, breathtaking, and soul-shifting. Whether you're navigating your own identity unraveling, learning how to sit with discomfort, or seeking safety beyond your survival patterns, this conversation is a mirror and a medicine. It’s a reminder that the most powerful love story is the one you write with yourself.Key Points From This Episode:Johanna’s journey from high-achieving identity to embodied truthThe nervous system shift that changed everythingWhy integration is the most sacred (and hardest) part of healingThe difference between doing the work and living the workHow suppressed trauma can surface through somatic unravelingThe surprising role creativity and art played in Johanna’s transformationA full live performance of The Spirit of SurrenderWhat it means to be your own savior—and stop outsourcing your safetyQuotes: “I thought the healing happened during the coaching. But the real work started the moment I was on my own. That’s when I realized I could actually hold myself.” — Johanna Buchweitz [00:09:10] “The biggest shift wasn’t that I found softness. It’s that I stopped making my power wrong.” — Johanna Buchweitz [00:28:45] “There’s a difference between learning nervous system work and living it. That’s where the transformation happens.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:31:22]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Johanna Buchweitz on InstagramLimitless on InstagramLauren Zoeller Lauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on InstagramLauren Zoeller on XLauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast

In this raw, relatable, and deeply empowering conversation, Lauren Zoeller sits down with leading relationship coach and author Sabrina Bendory to unpack one of the most common (and confusing) questions in modern dating: Should I go back to my ex?Sabrina shares her personal story of marrying her high school ex—after a decade-long journey of emotional chaos, deep healing, and radical self-responsibility. Together, she and Lauren dive into what it really takes to create healthy love after heartbreak, why “just love” isn’t enough, and how somatic integration, identity shifts, and nervous system work are the missing pieces for so many women stuck in love loops.They explore how patterns like anxious attachment, self-abandonment, and unworthiness play out in relationships—and why the real transformation happens when you stop performing growth and start living it.Whether you’re questioning a past relationship, struggling with detachment, or wondering why healthy love still feels hard, this episode will meet you right where you are—and show you how to rise from the inside out.Key Points From This Episode:Sabrina’s full-circle love story (and what had to change before it could work)The role of nervous system regulation in dating and relationship repairHow your identity and self-worth shape who you attract (and keep)Why getting back with an ex only works if the work has been done on both sidesThe power of discomfort as a portal to growth in loveWhy insight isn’t enough—and implementation is everythingHow to challenge deep-rooted stories like “I’m broken” or “Everyone leaves”What it actually looks like to choose yourself first and show up for loveQuotes:“You can want something so badly and still sabotage it—because your nervous system isn’t ready to hold it.” — Sabrina Bendory [00:15:11] “Love doesn’t conquer all. Compatibility, commitment, and healing do.” — Sabrina Bendory [00:36:22] “Your reality is a reflection of what you think you’re worthy of. Change the belief, and the world around you changes too.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:49:08]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Sabrina Bendory Sabrina Bendory on Instagram You Will Be Ok Podcast You’re Overthinking It by Sabrina Bendory Tennessee Fertility InstituteLauren Zoeller Lauren Zoeller on LinkedIn Lauren Zoeller on InstagramLauren Zoeller on XLauren Zoeller on TikTok Lauren Zoeller on FacebookThe Aligned Love Collective The Aligned Love Podcast

In this heart-opening conversation, Lauren Zoeller sits down with embodiment mentor and retreat leader Rachel Classen to explore why setting and maintaining boundaries is the true foundation for creating healthy relationships—both with yourself and others. Rachel shares her personal story of how abandoning her own needs led to burnout, resentment, and disconnection, and how learning to set compassionate boundaries changed everything.Together, they unpack how your internal boundaries shape the partnerships you call in, why intention must precede connection, and how success-driven women often unconsciously block love by crowding out space in their lives.Whether you’re navigating singlehood, dating, or partnership, this episode will help you rethink boundaries not as walls—but as sacred invitations to deeper love, intentional living, and true fulfillment.Key Points From This Episode:Rachel’s journey from chronic people-pleasing to embodied boundariesWhy real boundaries start with yourself—not othersHow to reverse-engineer boundaries from your relationship intentionsThe role of daily self-check-ins to maintain your standardsWhy successful women often struggle to create space for loveHow slowing down and creating internal spaciousness magnetizes healthy relationshipsThe power of aligned boundaries in cultivating deep intimacy and connectionQuotes:"When you say yes to everyone else, you’re giving them a diluted version of yourself." — Rachel Classen [00:09:45]"Boundaries aren’t an attack on others. They are an act of devotion to yourself." — Rachel Classen [00:11:03]"Presence is the golden ticket—and boundaries are what protect it." — Lauren Zoeller [00:49:12]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Rachel Closson's WebsiteRachel Closson on InstagramRachel's RetreatsThe Aligned Love CollectiveTennessee Fertility InstituteLauren Zoeller on InstagramLauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookThe Aligned Love Podcast

In this deeply embodied conversation, Lauren Zoeller sits down with trauma-informed somatic practitioner and energetic alchemist Amanda O’Mara to explore how stored trauma, energetic tension, and subtle body cues hold the key to our patterns in love, healing, and wholeness. Amanda breaks down the power of spinal energetics and explains how it helps clients access deep healing beyond words, by unwinding stuck stories at the level of sensation.Together, they unpack the difference between top-down and bottom-up healing, why you can’t think your way out of trauma, and how energetic release is the missing piece for so many women seeking connection, safety, and true embodiment.Whether you’re a practitioner, a woman on a healing journey, or someone who feels like they’ve “done the work” but still feel stuck, this episode will shift how you view the body, trauma, and what it means to be fully alive.Key Points From This Episode:Amanda’s journey from structural bodywork to trauma-informed energetic healingWhat spinal energetics actually is and how it helps clients reconnect to their bodiesHow unresolved trauma patterns show up physically—and how to listen to your body’s whispersThe collaborative dance between practitioner and client in unwinding tensionWhy bypassing the body leads to burnout, dysregulation, and shallow transformationHow trauma-informed energetic work can help women soften, open, and feel againThe importance of embodiment for healthy relationships and true self-trustQuotes:“Your body is so intelligent. It will show you exactly where you’re holding what you’re ready to release—if you’re willing to listen.” — Amanda O’Mara [00:18:42]“It’s not about fixing—it’s about remembering. Remembering how to feel, how to trust, how to let your body lead.” — Amanda O’Mara [00:09:31]“Healing doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it’s the subtle shift that sets you free.” — Lauren Zoeller [00:27:18]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Amanda O’MaraAmanda O’Mara on Instagram The Calm CEO PodcastEvolve Group MembershipFree Guide on Spinal Energetics Tennessee Fertility InstituteLauren ZoellerLauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on InstagramLauren Zoeller on XLauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast

What if the key to visibility wasn’t just being louder, but being deeply connected? In this heartfelt conversation, Lauren Zoeller sits down with PR expert and relationship-builder Julie Solomon to explore how authentic relationships are the true foundation of sustainable growth in both life and business. Julie unpacks how her early career in publicity taught her that trust, alignment, and connection—not cold pitching—are what actually move the needle. Together, they reflect on the emotional intelligence required to build influence, how somatic awareness plays a role in showing up fully, and why relationships are the strategy when it comes to long-term success.Key Points From This Episode:Welcome and background on Julie Solomon’s journey from traditional PR to personal branding and authorship.How Julie redefined success by shifting from external validation to internal alignment.The role of somatic awareness and nervous system regulation in building authentic relationships.Why relational safety is essential for visibility and self-expression in both life and business.Julie’s reflections on “misalignment as protection” and how disconnection can be a nervous system cue.Lauren’s personal story of navigating visibility while honoring her body’s signals.The difference between strategy-driven PR and relationship-driven influence.How to create opportunities by becoming deeply connected to your message first.The emotional weight of entrepreneurship and why internal safety fuels sustainable momentum.Julie’s advice for women learning to own their voice without burning out or abandoning themselves.Quotes:‘The relationship has to be aligned first. That’s where the magic happens.’ — Julie Solomon [00:11:13]‘If you’re not embodied in the message, no one else is going to buy into it either.’ — Lauren Zoeller [00:17:44]‘I had to learn that PR isn’t about pushing—it’s about positioning, presence, and people.’ — Julie Solomon [00:23:59]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Julia SolomonJulia Solomon on InstagramJulia Solomon on YouTubeThe Influencer PodcastThe Visibility Accelerator The Brand AcceleratorTennessee Fertility InstituteLauren ZoellerLauren Zoeller on LinkedInLauren Zoeller on InstagramLauren Zoeller on XLauren Zoeller on TikTokLauren Zoeller on FacebookThe Aligned Love CollectiveThe Aligned Love Podcast