Women, Men & Relationships to Improve Communication & Intimacy

Perimenopause, Weight Gain & Cortisol: Why Your Healthy Habits Aren't WorkingGuest: Bria Gadd — The Period WhispererAre you eating healthy, exercising regularly, and doing everything you've been told to do, yet STILL gaining weight, struggling with sleep, or feeling exhausted?What if the problem isn't your hormones alone—or that you're not trying hard enough?In this episode, JJ Flizanes welcomes Bria Gadd, The Period Whisperer, to explore the connection between perimenopause, cortisol, chronic stress, metabolism, and what Bria calls HEALTH DEBT.Bria shares her personal journey from fitness professional to perimenopause expert after experiencing unexplained weight gain, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and hormonal changes—even while maintaining her healthy habits.Together, JJ and Bria discuss why simply eating less and exercising more may not be the answer, and why understanding your body's energy demands, nervous system, and capacity for recovery is essential.In This Episode, You'll Discover:What is Health Debt? Why your body's energy demands may exceed its available resources and how Bria uses this concept to explain frustrating midlife symptoms.Perimenopause vs. Chronic Stress: Why not every symptom should automatically be blamed on declining estrogen.Cortisol and Weight Gain: How chronic stress may influence sleep, metabolism, recovery, and body composition.Why Your Workouts Aren't Working: How pushing harder without adequate recovery can leave you feeling worse.The Nervous System Connection: Why moving out of fight-or-flight and making space for rest, pleasure, and joy matters.Hormones and Sexual Health: The relationship between stress, safety, arousal, libido, and overall well-being.How to Start Rebuilding Your Health: Simple foundations involving sleep, nutrition, movement, stress reduction, and recovery.The takeaway: Your body may not need you to work HARDER. It may need you to understand what it's asking for and support it differently.Resources & LinksTake Bria's FREE Health Debt Quiz:https://www.jjflizanes.com/healthdebtDiscover where you may be experiencing health debt and explore your next steps.Connect with Bria Gadd — The Period Whisperer:https://www.briatheperiodwhisperer.comListen to The Period Whisperer Podcast:https://www.briatheperiodwhisperer.com/the-period-whisperer-podcastExplore More with JJ Flizanes:https://www.jjflizanes.comYour health isn't just about what you eat or how much you exercise. It's also about how you manage stress, support your nervous system, and create the conditions for your body to recover.Listen now and discover why your healthy habits may not be delivering the results you expect!

Why Couples Fight: Childhood Wounds, Triggers & Emotional HealingWith Harville Hendrix & Helen LaKelly HuntWhy do couples keep having the same arguments, even when they love each other? What if the real reason you're fighting has very little to do with what's happening today—and everything to do with wounds from your childhood?In this powerful conversation, JJ Flizanes welcomes Harville Hendrix and Helen LaKelly Hunt, creators of Imago Relationship Therapy and bestselling authors of Getting the Love You Want, to explore childhood core wounds, unconscious relationship patterns, and the emotional triggers that keep couples repeating the same conflicts.Harville and Helen share their personal stories, the origins of Imago Therapy, and how their own relationship struggles helped shape a revolutionary approach to communication and healing. Harville also reveals a newer insight about the difference between managing relationship power struggles and moving beyond them into real love.JJ shares how discovering the Imago Core Wound Exercise nearly a decade ago became the foundation for her Core Wound Map® and Rewiring Your Core Wound Patterns program—helping people uncover the subconscious beliefs and survival strategies influencing their relationships, health, happiness, and sense of self.In This Episode, You'll Discover:Why childhood wounds show up as emotional triggers in adult relationships.How unmet childhood needs influence who we choose as partners and why we fight.The fascinating origins of Imago Relationship Therapy.Why understanding your past isn't always enough to change your patterns.How listening, mirroring, validation, and empathy can transform communication.The difference between managing conflict and experiencing real love.How identifying your core wounds can help you change repeating emotional and relationship patterns.The biggest takeaway? The argument you're having today may be connected to a wound you experienced decades ago. Real emotional healing isn't simply understanding why you react—it's learning to respond differently.As JJ says, "Healing is when you are different in the same situation."Ready to Discover and Rewire Your Core Wounds?1. Core Wound Map® Founders ExperienceJoin JJ's exclusive six-week Founders Experience beginning November 1 and help shape the Core Wound Map while discovering the hidden patterns influencing your life.https://jjflizanes.com/map2. Pre-Order JJ's New Core Wound BookBe part of the book's pre-launch campaign, explore exclusive bonuses, and support bringing this transformative work to a wider audience.Book pre-launch URL: [Insert correct URL]3. Three-Month Private One-on-One CoachingWork personally with JJ to identify your core wounds, understand your emotional patterns, and develop a personalized roadmap for lasting change.Private coaching URL: [Insert correct URL]4. Rewiring Your Core Wound Patterns — 2027 ProgramReady for a deeper transformation? Apply for JJ's nine-month Rewire program and learn to change the subconscious patterns driving your emotional reactions, relationships, and self-sabotage.https://jjflizanes.com/applyConnect with JJ: https://jjflizanes.comSEO Keywords: childhood wounds, relationship triggers, emotional healing, Harville Hendrix, Helen LaKelly Hunt, Imago Therapy, relationship conflict, core wounds, subconscious patterns, relationship healing, couples communication, rewiring emotional patterns.

Should You Stay or Leave? How to Stop Letting Fear Decide Your RelationshipWhat if the biggest thing keeping you in your relationship isn't love—but fear?Deciding whether to stay in a marriage or end a relationship can be one of the most emotionally challenging decisions you'll ever make. Fear of hurting someone, being alone, making the wrong choice, or facing the unknown can keep you from moving forward—even when you know something needs to change.In this episode of Spirit, Purpose & Energy, JJ Flizanes welcomes back Meagan Sardana, a recent graduate of her nine-month Rewiring Your Core Wound Patterns program, for a deeply personal conversation about divorce, childhood wounds, emotional healing, and reclaiming your power.After years of contemplating the end of her marriage, Meagan shares how understanding her Core Wound Map helped her recognize the fears and avoidance patterns influencing her decisions. With new tools, support, and a different perspective, she found the courage to have difficult conversations, establish boundaries, and begin transitioning out of her marriage.But this conversation isn't about encouraging anyone to get divorced.It's about learning to make decisions from clarity and self-worth rather than fear and old emotional wounds.In This Episode, You'll Discover:How childhood wounds influence your marriage, relationships, and decisions.Why fear of confrontation, rejection, or abandonment can keep you from making changes.How Meagan used the Couple's Dialogue tool to navigate a difficult conversation with her husband.Why ending a relationship doesn't automatically end the emotional patterns that shaped it.How to recognize avoidance, suppression, and other survival patterns.Why understanding your Core Wound Map can help you establish boundaries and reclaim your personal power.The difference between talking about change and actually living differently.Whether you're contemplating divorce, navigating a relationship transition, or simply tired of repeating the same emotional patterns, this conversation offers a new perspective on what it means to heal.Because healing isn't necessarily about changing your circumstances. It's about becoming different in the same situation.Resources & OpportunitiesCore Wound Map Book & Founders ExperienceDiscover the unconscious emotional patterns influencing your life. Learn about JJ's upcoming book and the six-week Core Wound Map Founders Experience beginning November 1, 2026.https://www.jjflizanes.com/mapRewiring Your Core Wound Patterns — 2027Applications are now open for JJ's immersive nine-month program, designed to help you move beyond awareness and practice lasting change.https://www.jjflizanes.com/apply5 Levels to Restore Health — November 6–8, 2026Join JJ and special guest Dr. William Davis in Redondo Beach for a transformational weekend exploring healing on five levels: physical, emotional, mental, relational and environmental, and spiritual.https://www.jjflizanes.com/restoreConnect with JJ FlizanesWebsite: https://www.jjflizanes.comRemember: You don't transform your life by understanding it differently. You transform it by LIVING differently.

What happens when you stop simply understanding your emotional triggers and start changing the patterns behind them?In this week's episode, I'm joined by six women who have just completed my nine-month Rewiring Your Core Wound Patterns program. And instead of me telling you what this work can do, you're going to hear directly from the women who experienced it.Each woman came into this journey with her own history, emotional patterns, relationships, and reasons for wanting change. Nine months later, they're sharing what shifted, what surprised them, and how they're responding differently to situations that once triggered them.Because understanding why you feel the way you do is one thing. Actually becoming different in the same situation is something else entirely.In This Episode, We Explore:Why identifying your childhood wounds is only the beginning of emotional healingHow unconscious emotional patterns influence relationships, confidence, self-worth, and everyday reactionsWhat happens when you move beyond collecting information and begin practicing new emotional responsesHow six women experienced changes in their relationships, boundaries, communication, and self-trustWhy rewiring core wound patterns requires repetition, awareness, support, and real-life applicationThe difference between managing your emotional triggers and changing how you respond to themWhy healing isn't about becoming perfect—it's about creating more freedom, peace, love, joy, and possibilityThese women share personal experiences of becoming more confident, speaking up, navigating difficult conversations, recognizing their emotional reactions, and allowing themselves to show up differently in their lives.Healing is when you are different in the same situation.And this conversation gives you a glimpse of what that can actually look like.Ready to Explore Your Own Core Wounds?1. Pre-Order Your Core Wound MapMy new book, Your Core Wound Map, is now available through its pre-launch campaign, with special courses, experiences, and bonuses.Explore the campaign and reserve your copy:https://www.jjflizanes.com/map2. Join the Core Wound Map Founders Experience — Starts November 1, 2026I'm inviting a small group of people who are new to this work to experience the Core Wound Map process with me over six weeks. This is an opportunity to identify your core wounds, understand your emotional patterns, and contribute to the evolution of the process.Only 12 spaces remain.Learn more and reserve your place:https://www.jjflizanes.com/map3. Apply for Rewiring Your Core Wound Patterns — 2027If you're ready to go beyond identifying your wounds and commit to the deeper work of changing your emotional responses, applications for the next nine-month Rewire program are available.Apply for the 2027 Rewire program:https://jjflizanes.com/applyYou don't have to spend the rest of your life responding to the world through the wounds of your past.Your history may explain your patterns, but it doesn't have to determine your future.

What if you’ve done years of personal growth, therapy, healing, and self-development—and you’re still getting triggered by the same things?In this week’s episode, I’m doing something a little different. I’m handing the microphone over to my dear friend, Empowerment Strategist, and host of the Open Heart Healing Podcast, Vesta Hurlbutt, to interview ME about the work that has become such a huge part of my life: the Core Wound Map.Vesta has been part of this journey almost from the beginning. She has experienced the Core Wound work herself, trained in the process, and watched it evolve over the years—so she was the perfect person to ask me the question:Why now? Why is it finally time for this book?The truth is, I thought I was writing a book. What I realized along the way was that I was actually creating a process—one that could help people identify the core wounds underneath their triggers, recognize the patterns those wounds created, and begin changing the way they respond.Because identifying your wounds is only the beginning.In this conversation, we talk about:How the Core Wound Map evolved from my own experience with Imago work into the process I use todayWhy understanding your patterns can change the way you look at your triggers, relationships, and pastThe difference between identifying a core wound and actually rewiring the patternWhy you can intellectually understand where your reactions come from and still continue having themWhy our relationships can become powerful opportunities for healing old woundsThe role of support, stretching, and practice in creating new responsesWhy this book has taken me years to complete—and why I finally know it’s readyLearning to trust your intuition even when other people don’t understand the timingWhy I’m especially interested in helping people who have already done a LOT of work on themselves and are wondering, “Why am I still getting triggered?”YOUR CORE WOUND MAP — PRE-LAUNCHYour Core Wound Map: Why You’re Still Getting Triggered After All the Work You’ve Done—and What Will Finally Change It is officially in pre-launch.And this isn’t simply about pre-ordering a book.During the pre-launch, there are opportunities to go deeper, experience the Core Wound Map process, access special bonuses, and even help me test and refine some of the newest pieces of the work before the final book is published.If you’ve been doing the work but know there’s another layer you haven’t uncovered yet, I created this for you.Learn more and join the pre-launch here:https://www.jjflizanes.com/mapABOUT VESTA HURLBUTTVesta is the host of the Open Heart Healing Podcast, where she explores emotional healing, nutrition, menopause, personal growth, and the everyday trigger moments that can become opportunities to understand and heal ourselves more deeply.Search for Open Heart Healing Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.And remember:Healing is when you are different in the same situation.

What if the problem isn’t that you haven’t found the right diet yet?For decades, we’ve been taught to measure health by weight, clothing size, calories and the number on the scale. But what happens when the pursuit of weight loss actually pulls us further away from our health—and from ourselves?In this episode, JJ welcomes back nutritionist, behavior specialist and author Carrie Lupoli for a powerful conversation about diet culture, body image, GLP-1s, self-worth and the beliefs that drive so many of our choices around food and our bodies.Carrie shares the philosophy behind her new book, From Corset to Crown, and the difference between making health decisions from the “corset”—restriction, fear, self-sacrifice and the need for outside approval—and making those same decisions from the “crown” of self-worth, self-love and self-leadership.Because losing weight and becoming healthier are not necessarily the same goal.JJ and Carrie explore why reaching a “goal weight” doesn’t automatically create confidence, happiness or self-worth; why our culture is so quick to compliment weight loss without asking what is happening underneath it; and why changing your relationship with your body may be just as important as changing what you eat.They also discuss GLP-1 medications and the current obsession with weight loss, blood sugar stabilization, diet mentality, emotional eating, body image, cultural conditioning and the deeper question we rarely stop to ask:Why do I want to lose weight—and what do I believe will finally be different about me when I do?In this episode, you’ll hear more about:The difference between weight loss and true healthHow diet culture connects body size to self-worthWhy getting to your “goal weight” may not make you happierGLP-1s and our cultural obsession with getting smallerBlood sugar stabilization and sustainable nutritionWhy the motivation underneath your health choices mattersHow childhood messages can shape body image and self-worthThe connection between self-sacrifice, stress and abandoning your own needsWhy meal plans and diets alone rarely address the deeper issueHow to identify whether a choice is coming from your “corset” or your “crown”Why self-awareness, self-love and self-leadership belong in the health conversationA different definition of what it means for a diet or health strategy to actually “work”Carrie asks three powerful questions that can begin changing your relationship with food and your body: What do you want? Why do you want it? And what is your definition of “working”?Because if “working” means having peace around food, understanding how to fuel your body, feeling healthy and knowing your worth, the number on the scale can’t be the only measurement that matters.ABOUT CARRIE LUPOLICarrie Lupoli is a nutritionist, behavior specialist, educator, speaker and author whose work challenges traditional diet culture and helps women create a healthier relationship with food, their bodies and themselves. Her new book, From Corset to Crown, explores how women can move away from restriction, self-sacrifice and external validation and toward self-worth, self-awareness and empowered health choices.GET CARRIE'S BOOK + RESOURCESLearn more about Carrie Lupoli and From Corset to Crown:https://CarrieLupoli.comAt the time of this episode’s release, pre-orders of From Corset to Crown before October 6, 2026 include special bonuses such as immediate access to the e-book, a 10-episode companion podcast, a discussion guide and access to Carrie’s pre-order community. Additional resources connected to the book are also available through her website.https://CarrieLupoli.com

What if some of the health advice you’ve been following is actually keeping you stuck?In this episode, JJ Flizanes sits down with New York Times bestselling author Dr. William Davis to challenge some of the long-standing rules we’ve been taught about weight loss, health and healing.From the century-old “eat less, move more” mentality to the growing understanding of the microbiome, inflammation, nervous system and emotional health, JJ and Dr. Davis explore why restoring health requires looking beyond symptoms—and sometimes questioning the very advice we’ve been told to follow.Dr. Davis shares why calorie restriction and conventional weight-loss thinking can fail people long-term, and how the microbiome may influence far more than digestion—including mood, behavior, metabolism and overall health.JJ expands the conversation beyond the physical body, exploring the relationship between our emotional state, nervous system and physical health. Healing isn’t always an outside-in process or an inside-out process—it may require understanding both.In this episode, you’ll discover:Why it may be time to question some of the health “rules” we’ve accepted as factWhy eating less isn’t necessarily the answer to sustainable weight lossHow your microbiome can influence your health in unexpected waysThe connection between emotions, the nervous system and physical symptomsWhy addressing only the physical—or only the emotional—can leave important pieces of the puzzle untouchedHow becoming more informed and curious about your body can help you take a more active role in your healthWhy personalization, community and understanding the whole person matter when creating lasting changeJoin JJ & Dr. William Davis on the New Body Blueprint CruiseTake these conversations much deeper in person with JJ Flizanes and Dr. William Davis aboard the New Body Blueprint Cruise, February 27–March 7, 2027.Spend 8 days in the Caribbean combining vacation, community and an immersive exploration of the body, microbiome, health and healing. The educational programming takes place primarily during the days at sea, leaving plenty of time to enjoy the ports and the experience of being together in person.Learn more and reserve your cabin:https://www.thenewbodyblueprint.com5 Levels to Restore Health — November 6–8, 2026Join JJ Flizanes in Redondo Beach, California for an intimate transformational weekend exploring the 5 Levels to Restore Health: Physical, Emotional, Mental, Relational & Environmental, and Spiritual.Dr. William Davis will join JJ to teach the physical level as the weekend explores how the different pieces of your health interact—and what may be missing when you’ve been working hard on your health but still feel stuck.November 6–8, 2026 | Redondo Beach, CaliforniaLearn more and register:https://www.jjflizanes.com/restoreSPECIAL PODCAST DISCOUNT:Use code 5LEVELS50 for 50% off your ticket.Space is intentionally limited to create more opportunity for interaction, personalization and deeper transformation.

What if the discomfort you’re experiencing isn’t a sign that something has gone wrong—but an indication that something is ready to change?Most of us want to get rid of discomfort as quickly as possible. We distract ourselves, numb it, push through it, treat the symptom, blame the circumstances, or retreat back into familiar patterns. But whether your discomfort is physical, emotional, relational, or simply a feeling that you’re stuck, frustrated, anxious, or disconnected, it may be trying to get your attention.In this episode, JJ Flizanes explores why discomfort can become the catalyst for some of our greatest breakthroughs—and why we often don’t make meaningful changes until staying where we are becomes more uncomfortable than moving forward.JJ shares examples from her own recent healing journey and relationships to illustrate how an uncomfortable experience can expose deeper beliefs, fears, core wounds, and patterns we may not have realized were running our lives.Because when fear is making your decisions, fear has the power. But when you become willing to examine what’s underneath the fear, you have the opportunity to choose something different.In this episode, you’ll discover:Why physical and emotional discomfort can be valuable informationHow fear, resistance, and control can keep you repeating old patternsWhy treating the symptom may not address what’s happening underneath itHow your subconscious beliefs and core wounds influence what you allow yourself to receiveWhy vulnerability can require more strength than staying in controlHow discomfort can create the opening for new awareness and new neural pathwaysWhy feeling stuck, frustrated, anxious, or “off” may actually mean you’re ready for changeHow leaning into discomfort instead of running from it can become the beginning of your breakthroughJJ also connects this conversation to the Core Wound Map and the importance of identifying the beliefs underneath our habitual reactions. You can’t change a pattern you don’t know is there—and understanding the root gives you a place to begin.Your discomfort doesn’t have to be something you fear or immediately try to escape.It may be an invitation.You may not be falling apart. You may be standing at the edge of your next breakthrough.https;//jjflizanes.com/restore

What if simply allowing yourself to imagine something different could change the energy of your relationship—and your life—before you ever actually did anything?In this episode, JJ Flizanes is joined once again by Doug Sandler for a candid continuation of their conversation about sexual chemistry, intimacy, desire, manifestation, and what has shifted dramatically in their relationship over the last 30 days.And here's the surprising part: the biggest transformation didn't begin with an action. It began with an idea.A sexual fantasy opened the door to conversations, anticipation, vulnerability, excitement, fear, and an entirely different energy between JJ and Doug. That experience became a real-life example of something JJ has taught for years through the Law of Attraction: if you want to experience a new reality, you have to begin accessing the thoughts, emotions, and energy of that reality before you have physical evidence that it exists.JJ and Doug also explore a question most of us rarely stop to consider:Who actually taught you how to have sex?Most people receive very little education about sexual pleasure, communication, desire, or understanding their own bodies. Yet somehow, we're expected to enter relationships knowing what we want—and knowing how to give our partner what they want.Doug shares openly about the male perspective, including performance anxiety, the pressure to know how to please your partner, and what happens when your partner doesn't necessarily know how to tell you what they want either.JJ also explores the connection between sexual energy, creativity, relationships, manifestation, the nervous system, and physical health—and why sexual expression may be an important part of the bigger conversation about whole-person health.This episode isn't simply about having more sex. It's about becoming curious about the parts of yourself you may never have explored, creating enough safety in a relationship to communicate honestly, and allowing yourself to try on a new possibility.Because sometimes you don't have to know exactly where something is going. Giving yourself permission to imagine, explore, and try something new may be enough to shift your energy—and begin creating a completely different experience.In This Episode:How one fantasy changed the energy of JJ and Doug's relationshipWhy anticipation and imagination can be incredibly powerfulHow to use Law of Attraction to access a reality that doesn't exist yetWhy trying something new can change the way you think, feel, and behaveWhy most adults were never actually taught how to have good sexSexual exploration and discovering what turns you onWhy your partner may not know how to tell you what they needThe pressure men can experience around sexual performanceHow sexual dissatisfaction can affect the rest of a relationshipThe connection between sexual energy, creativity, vitality, and healthCreating safety for honest conversations with your partnerWhy these same principles can apply to sex, money, health, career, and other areas of your lifeResources Mentioned:Download JJ's Feelings & Needs List:https://jjflizanes.com/feelingslistLearn more about The Five Levels to Restore Health:https://jjflizanes.com/restoreReady to work with JJ? Apply here:https://jjflizanes.com/apply

What if the reason you’re not fully healing isn’t because you haven’t tried hard enough—but because you’ve been focusing on only one level of health?In this episode, JJ introduces the inspiration behind her upcoming live event, The 5 Levels to Restore Health, and revisits a powerful conversation with Dr. Miriam Rahav exploring Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt’s Five Levels of Healing.The original framework proposes that healing extends far beyond the physical body. And while nutrition, movement, sleep, the microbiome, metabolic health, and other physical interventions are essential, they may represent only one piece of a much larger picture.JJ shares how this concept has influenced the way she now looks at health and healing—and why she believes the different levels must work in both directions. Your thoughts, emotions, nervous system, relationships, and environment can affect your physical health, while your physical health can profoundly influence your mood, resilience, emotional regulation, and ability to heal.This is the foundation for JJ’s expanded approach to the five levels: Physical, Mental, Emotional, Relational & Environmental, and Purpose & Spiritual.In this episode, you’ll explore:Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt’s original Five Levels of Healing frameworkWhy addressing physical symptoms alone may not create lasting healingHow the physical, mental, emotional, relational, environmental, and spiritual aspects of health intersectWhy the body can affect emotional healing just as emotional stress can affect the bodyThe role of the nervous system, beliefs, perception, and environment in healthWhy one healing tool or modality may not be the answer for every person—or every levelHow to begin identifying the level of healing that may be asking for your attentionWhy healing requires more than accumulating information—it requires integration and experienceAs you listen, consider two important questions:Which level have you spent the MOST time trying to heal?And perhaps more importantly…Which level have you almost completely ignored?The 5 Levels to Restore Health — LIVENovember 6–8, 2026 | Redondo Beach, CaliforniaJJ is bringing this framework to life in an intimate, interactive weekend designed to move beyond information and into experience, integration, and transformation.Special guest Dr. William Davis, New York Times bestselling author of Wheat Belly, Super Gut, and Undoctored, will join JJ to explore the physical foundations of restoring health.Throughout the weekend, you’ll explore all five levels through science, practical frameworks, guided exercises, meaningful conversations, and experiential learning designed to help you discover what may be missing from your own healing journey.Attendance is intentionally limited to approximately 40–50 people.Learn more and reserve your seat:jjflizanes.com/restoreGet 50% off before Sept 1 use code 5LEVELS50Your body is part of your healing story—but it may not be the whole story.What level is asking for your attention?