Finding Harmony Podcast

What if your heart has its own intelligence and has been quietly guiding you your whole life? Harmony Slater and Russell Case sit down with Howard Martin, co-author of The HeartMath Solution and a longtime leader at HeartMath, to explore heart-brain coherence, heart rate variability and the research behind both. Howard shares how a rock drummer left the music business in his early 30s to help build HeartMath, why the team chose science as the bridge between heart wisdom and daily life, and the simple three-step technique at the core of the HeartMath system. You will also hear about the study in which participants' bodies responded to an image seconds before it appeared, why chronic stress has become so normal, and why Howard believes self-compassion is an act of service.
In this episode:
How HeartMath began in 1990 and became a nonprofit institute in 1991
Howard's path from rock drummer to heart-based research and training
Why the heart is an information processing center, not only a pump
The heart's electromagnetic field and the pre-stimulus picture study
The three core HeartMath steps: heart focus, heart-focused breathing, a regenerative emotion
Heart rate variability, coherence scores and the difference between measurable and operational coherence
Moving from "sky to street" so your practice shows up in daily life
Self-compassion, stress and why Howard wants love to "go viral"
 
Resources: heartmath.com (free resources) | heartmath.org (research and the nonprofit's work with educators, children, parents and first responders) | HeartMath app and Coherence Plus sensor | The HeartMath Solution by Doc Childre and Howard Martin | Harmony's free Manifestation Activation meditation and the 21 Day Money Magic Manifestation Challenge, starting November 1 
Guest bio: Howard Martin is co-author of The HeartMath Solution and has worked alongside HeartMath founder Doc Childre for more than 50 years as a friend and collaborator. Before HeartMath, he was a professional rock drummer. He has spent 36 years in Northern California helping bring heart-based tools to education, business, the military, government agencies and everyday people.
FREE MANIFESTATION ACTIVATION: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation-26
21 Day Money Magic & Manifestation Challenge: https://community-harmonyslater.com/plans/1542444?bundle_token=98733621ca17818d75b33f645ea03672&utm_source=manual
Use Code: 
MANIFESTATIONMAGIC  - $20 savings
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What if your heart has its own intelligence and has been quietly guiding you your whole life? Harmony Slater and Russell Case sit down with Howard Martin, co-author of The HeartMath Solution and a longtime leader at HeartMath, to explore heart-brain coherence, heart rate variability and the research behind both. Howard shares how a rock drummer left the music business in his early 30s to help build HeartMath, why the team chose science as the bridge between heart wisdom and daily life, and the simple three-step technique at the core of the HeartMath system. You will also hear about the study in which participants' bodies responded to an image seconds before it appeared, why chronic stress has become so normal, and why Howard believes self-compassion is an act of service.
In this episode:
How HeartMath began in 1990 and became a nonprofit institute in 1991
Howard's path from rock drummer to heart-based research and training
Why the heart is an information processing center, not only a pump
The heart's electromagnetic field and the pre-stimulus picture study
The three core HeartMath steps: heart focus, heart-focused breathing, a regenerative emotion
Heart rate variability, coherence scores and the difference between measurable and operational coherence
Moving from "sky to street" so your practice shows up in daily life
Self-compassion, stress and why Howard wants love to "go viral"
 
Resources: heartmath.com (free resources) | heartmath.org (research and the nonprofit's work with educators, children, parents and first responders) | HeartMath app and Coherence Plus sensor | The HeartMath Solution by Doc Childre and Howard Martin | Harmony's free Manifestation Activation meditation and the 21 Day Money Magic Manifestation Challenge, starting November 1 
Guest bio: Howard Martin is co-author of The HeartMath Solution and has worked alongside HeartMath founder Doc Childre for more than 50 years as a friend and collaborator. Before HeartMath, he was a professional rock drummer. He has spent 36 years in Northern California helping bring heart-based tools to education, business, the military, government agencies and everyday people.
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

Deep rest is a birthright, and daily ritual can be the way back to it. Author and teacher Tracee Stanley joins Harmony Slater and Russell Case to talk about retreat, ritual, and reclaiming your attention in a world built to distract you.
Tracee is the author of Radiant Rest and The Luminous Self, and her new book, Living Ritual, answers the question she hears at the end of every retreat: how do I bring this home? She shares the story of her spiritual awakening in Cape Town, her years as a film producer, her donation-based yoga studio, and a simple evening and morning ritual you can try for seven days. She also leads a short guided practice to call your attention back to you.
In this episode
How the yoga nidra book Radiant Rest came to be, from a Shambhala editor's request to a sign at a Wanderlust workshop in Whistler
Why The Luminous Self goes beyond asana into the yamas, niyamas, kleshas, and samskaras
The question "What lessons are you tired of learning?" and what it reveals about seeing other people's potential instead of your own
A spiritual awakening on a balcony in Cape Town, and the books a friend handed her afterward
Leaving a career as a film producer, opening a donation-only yoga studio, and moving to Mount Shasta
Studying with teachers from the Himalayan tradition and the Sri Vidya Tantra lineage
Living Ritual and the idea of micro rituals for the householder
Why our attention is being monetized, and how to build an "analog cocoon" around sleep and waking
Turning the dishes into a sadhana
A guided two-minute practice to reclaim your attention
What to expect on a retreat, and why some practices need to be taught in person
Harmony's invitation to the Purple Valley retreat in Tenerife
If you're feeling called to experience deep rest and rejuvenation while deepening your spiritual practice. Join Harmony in 2027! 
Harmony will be hosting a 1 or 2 week retreat in Tenerife, Canary Islands, through Purple Valley Retreats: 
Week one, February 20 to 27: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/
Week two, February 27 to March 6: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/
About Tracee Stanley 
Tracee Stanley is the author of the upcoming book Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit (St. Martin’s Essentials 2026) and the bestselling books Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity and The Luminous Self: Sacred Yogic Practices & Rituals to Remember Who You Are - (Shambhala Publications). Tracee is the founder of Empowered Life Circle, a sacred community and portal of practices, rituals, and Tantric teachings inspired by more than 30 years of studentship in Sri Vidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters. Tracee is devoted to sharing the wisdom of yoga nidra, rest, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence. Tracee holds certificates from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Advanced Eco-Therapy, New Thinking, Best Practices, and Emerging Modalities, and a certificate in Advanced Ecopsychology. Tracee is devoted to illuminating the magic and power found in liminal space and weaving devotion and practice into daily life.
Links and resources
Tracee Stanley: https://www.traceestanley.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Ritual-Infuse-Purpose-Spirit-ebook/dp/B0FLYQWTR1/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0
https://www.instagram.com/tracee_stanley
Books: Radiant Rest, The Luminous Self, Living Ritual 
Purple Valley Retreat Center, Tenerife, Canary Islands, with Harmony: Week one, February 20 to 27, and week two, February 27 to March 6 
About Harmony SlaterHarmony Slater is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), a somatic-energy healer and breathwork trainer, and one of only twenty women in the world to hold the highest level of Ashtanga Yoga certification. For twenty-five years she has helped high achievers who look like they have it all together but feel like they're just getting by, stop over-functioning and reconnect to the life they truly want to live. She integrates energy and breathwork with somatic and emotional coaching, helping clients release what talk alone never could and come home to themselves. She hosts the Finding Harmony podcast and founded the Lightworker Mastermind, where coaches and healers grow their visibility and their business without losing themselves. Book a Somatic Energy Session and find out how to work with her at harmonyslater.com
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

Deep rest is a birthright, and daily ritual can be the way back to it. Author and teacher Tracee Stanley joins Harmony Slater and Russell Case to talk about retreat, ritual, and reclaiming your attention in a world built to distract you.
Tracee is the author of Radiant Rest and The Luminous Self, and her new book, Living Ritual, answers the question she hears at the end of every retreat: how do I bring this home? She shares the story of her spiritual awakening in Cape Town, her years as a film producer, her donation-based yoga studio, and a simple evening and morning ritual you can try for seven days. She also leads a short guided practice to call your attention back to you.
In this episode
How the yoga nidra book Radiant Rest came to be, from a Shambhala editor's request to a sign at a Wanderlust workshop in Whistler
Why The Luminous Self goes beyond asana into the yamas, niyamas, kleshas, and samskaras
The question "What lessons are you tired of learning?" and what it reveals about seeing other people's potential instead of your own
A spiritual awakening on a balcony in Cape Town, and the books a friend handed her afterward
Leaving a career as a film producer, opening a donation-only yoga studio, and moving to Mount Shasta
Studying with teachers from the Himalayan tradition and the Sri Vidya Tantra lineage
Living Ritual and the idea of micro rituals for the householder
Why our attention is being monetized, and how to build an "analog cocoon" around sleep and waking
Turning the dishes into a sadhana
A guided two-minute practice to reclaim your attention
What to expect on a retreat, and why some practices need to be taught in person
Harmony's invitation to the Purple Valley retreat in Tenerife
About Tracee Stanley 
Tracee Stanley is the author of the upcoming book Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit (St. Martin’s Essentials 2026) and the bestselling books Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity and The Luminous Self: Sacred Yogic Practices & Rituals to Remember Who You Are - (Shambhala Publications). Tracee is the founder of Empowered Life Circle, a sacred community and portal of practices, rituals, and Tantric teachings inspired by more than 30 years of studentship in Sri Vidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters. Tracee is devoted to sharing the wisdom of yoga nidra, rest, meditation, self-inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence. Tracee holds certificates from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Advanced Eco-Therapy, New Thinking, Best Practices, and Emerging Modalities, and a certificate in Advanced Ecopsychology. Tracee is devoted to illuminating the magic and power found in liminal space and weaving devotion and practice into daily life.
Links and resources
Tracee Stanley: https://www.traceestanley.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Living-Ritual-Infuse-Purpose-Spirit-ebook/dp/B0FLYQWTR1/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0
https://www.instagram.com/tracee_stanley
Books: Radiant Rest, The Luminous Self, Living Ritual 
Purple Valley Retreat Center, Tenerife, Canary Islands, with Harmony: Week one, February 20 to 27, and week two, February 27 to March 6 
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What if your symptoms aren't the problem? What if they're a message?
Harmony Slater and Russell Case welcome Allison Lorne, a certified nurse midwife with 25 years in women's health who guides women through perimenopause and menopause as a sacred passage rather than a set of symptoms to silence. Allison is also a spinal energetics practitioner, so the conversation moves between the clinical and the energetic: what hormones are doing, what the body is asking for, and how to come home to it.
Allison explains why she calls perimenopause "adolescence in reverse," how the history of hormone therapy shaped what women were told for two decades, and why emotional symptoms like anxiety, irritability, and sleeplessness often arrive first. She shares her own first symptom, why it took her years to recognize perimenopause, and how a lifetime of intuitive healing work led her from hospital nursing to private practice. Along the way: the grandmother hypothesis, a coven on California's Central Coast, dandelions, and a simple practice for tuning in to your inner wise woman.
In this episode
Why perimenopause can feel like adolescence in reverse, and what the big feelings are asking you to look at
How hormone therapy went from widely prescribed to widely feared, and what Allison says the reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative data showed
Why Allison describes hormone therapy as comparable to insulin or thyroid medication, and why she says the decision is case by case
The emotional symptoms that often come first: anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness, a sense of doom, rising feminine rage
Allison's own first symptom, and why she did not recognize perimenopause for about ten years
How relationships change when children leave home, and why communication and intimacy matter in midlife
The grandmother hypothesis, orcas, and why menopause may be about purpose rather than decline
How spinal energetics keeps a client alert and engaged, and why that matters for lasting change
Why empaths need to learn "what's mine and what's not mine"
A simple daily practice for meeting your inner wise woman, using the elements of water, fire, earth, air, and ether
Key takeaways
Perimenopause is a whole-systems transition, not only a hormonal one. Emotional symptoms are information.
Allison's view: hormone therapy decisions are individual, and the greatest benefit is seen when it starts before 60 or within ten years of the last period. Talk with your own provider.
Midlife is an opportunity to take inventory of what has been pushed down and to choose embodiment, self-awareness, and nervous system regulation.
Women's health research has lagged behind, and community is part of the remedy.
Time in nature, even gazing at the sky, helps the brain settle into the states where insight arrives.
Guest bio
Allison Lorne, CNM, is a certified nurse midwife with 25 years in women's health. After two decades in hospital and clinical practice, she opened a private practice three years ago, where she guides women through perimenopause and menopause with a blend of clinical education, somatic work, and spinal energetics. She leads a three-month coaching program for women in midlife and lives on five acres on California's Central Coast.
Connect with Allison
Website: https://www.healwithallison.com/
https://www.instagram.com/spiritualsomatics/
Sensitivity Quiz
 
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What if your symptoms aren't the problem? What if they're a message?
Harmony Slater and Russell Case welcome Allison Lorne, a certified nurse midwife with 25 years in women's health who guides women through perimenopause and menopause as a sacred passage rather than a set of symptoms to silence. Allison is also a spinal energetics practitioner, so the conversation moves between the clinical and the energetic: what hormones are doing, what the body is asking for, and how to come home to it.
Allison explains why she calls perimenopause "adolescence in reverse," how the history of hormone therapy shaped what women were told for two decades, and why emotional symptoms like anxiety, irritability, and sleeplessness often arrive first. She shares her own first symptom, why it took her years to recognize perimenopause, and how a lifetime of intuitive healing work led her from hospital nursing to private practice. Along the way: the grandmother hypothesis, a coven on California's Central Coast, dandelions, and a simple practice for tuning in to your inner wise woman.
In this episode
Why perimenopause can feel like adolescence in reverse, and what the big feelings are asking you to look at
How hormone therapy went from widely prescribed to widely feared, and what Allison says the reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative data showed
Why Allison describes hormone therapy as comparable to insulin or thyroid medication, and why she says the decision is case by case
The emotional symptoms that often come first: anxiety, irritability, sleeplessness, a sense of doom, rising feminine rage
Allison's own first symptom, and why she did not recognize perimenopause for about ten years
How relationships change when children leave home, and why communication and intimacy matter in midlife
The grandmother hypothesis, orcas, and why menopause may be about purpose rather than decline
How spinal energetics keeps a client alert and engaged, and why that matters for lasting change
Why empaths need to learn "what's mine and what's not mine"
A simple daily practice for meeting your inner wise woman, using the elements of water, fire, earth, air, and ether
Key takeaways
Perimenopause is a whole-systems transition, not only a hormonal one. Emotional symptoms are information.
Allison's view: hormone therapy decisions are individual, and the greatest benefit is seen when it starts before 60 or within ten years of the last period. Talk with your own provider.
Midlife is an opportunity to take inventory of what has been pushed down and to choose embodiment, self-awareness, and nervous system regulation.
Women's health research has lagged behind, and community is part of the remedy.
Time in nature, even gazing at the sky, helps the brain settle into the states where insight arrives.
Guest bio
Allison Lorne, CNM, is a certified nurse midwife with 25 years in women's health. After two decades in hospital and clinical practice, she opened a private practice three years ago, where she guides women through perimenopause and menopause with a blend of clinical education, somatic work, and spinal energetics. She leads a three-month coaching program for women in midlife and lives on five acres on California's Central Coast.
Connect with Allison
Website: https://www.healwithallison.com/
https://www.instagram.com/spiritualsomatics/
Sensitivity Quiz
 
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

 
Description
Everyone is talking about nervous system regulation. But what if the goal isn't to be calm all the time? In Episode 337, Harmony Slater and Russell Case talk with Laurie James, author of Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go, host of the Confessions of a Free Bird podcast, and a certified somatic practitioner and coach who works in the Somatic Experiencing approach developed by Peter Levine.
Laurie shares how caring for aging parents while raising four daughters, and the end of a 26-year marriage, led to a season of overwhelm and then to somatic healing. She explains what Somatic Experiencing is, why a healthy nervous system moves between activation and rest many times a day, how to build capacity instead of chasing calm, and why you can heal without retelling your whole story.
In this episode
Why the goal of nervous system work is flexibility and resilience, not constant calm
What Somatic Experiencing is, and how listening to the body differs from directing it from the top down
How the vagus nerve and neuroception shape your response to safety and threat
What it means to complete a threat response that never finished
How yoga, nature and slow movement support regulation
Why you don't have to revisit your story to release it
How a memoir, a podcast and one-on-one work grew out of a second-half-of-life reinvention
About the guest
Laurie James is an author, certified somatic practitioner and coach, and the host of the Confessions of a Free Bird podcast. Her memoir, Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go (2021), chronicles a season of raising four daughters, caring for her parents, and the unraveling of a long marriage. She lives in Southern California.
Links and resources
Laurie's website: https://www.laurieejames.com/
Laurie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurie.james/
Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go on Amazon and wherever books are sold
Confessions of a Free Bird podcast, where Harmony was a guest
Mentioned in this episode
Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), Stephen Porges (polyvagal theory), Gabor Maté, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris (The Deepest Well and the ACE study)
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

Everyone is talking about nervous system regulation. But what if the goal isn't to be calm all the time? Harmony Slater and Russell Case talk with Laurie James, author of Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go, host of the Confessions of a Free Bird podcast, and a certified somatic practitioner and coach who works in the Somatic Experiencing approach developed by Peter Levine.
Laurie shares how caring for aging parents while raising four daughters, and the end of a 26-year marriage, led to a season of overwhelm and then to somatic healing. She explains what Somatic Experiencing is, why a healthy nervous system moves between activation and rest many times a day, how to build capacity instead of chasing calm, and why you can heal without retelling your whole story.
In this episode
Why the goal of nervous system work is flexibility and resilience, not constant calm
What Somatic Experiencing is, and how listening to the body differs from directing it from the top down
How the vagus nerve and neuroception shape your response to safety and threat
What it means to complete a threat response that never finished
How yoga, nature and slow movement support regulation
Why you don't have to revisit your story to release it
How a memoir, a podcast and one-on-one work grew out of a second-half-of-life reinvention
About the guest
Laurie James is an author, certified somatic practitioner and coach, and the host of the Confessions of a Free Bird podcast. Her memoir, Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go (2021), chronicles a season of raising four daughters, caring for her parents, and the unraveling of a long marriage. She lives in Southern California.
Links and resources
Laurie's website: https://www.laurieejames.com/
Laurie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurie.james/
Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go on Amazon and wherever books are sold
Confessions of a Free Bird podcast, where Harmony was a guest
Mentioned in this episode
Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing), Stephen Porges (polyvagal theory), Gabor Maté, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris (The Deepest Well and the ACE study)
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What happens when the thing that saved your life becomes the thing you have to heal from?
Chad Herst has been practicing Ashtanga yoga since his twenties — authorized to teach by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois himself in 2003 — and coaching high-performing founders and executives since 2008. From the outside, he'd figured it out. From the inside, he was running the exact pattern he now helps his clients name: the drive that builds something real, and then keeps running long after it stops feeling like enough.
 
Harmony and Russell sit down with their old friend from the Mysore years to talk about what actually broke that pattern open — a body that finally refused to cooperate, a decade of sitting with ayahuasca, and a grief from his brother's death in 1991 that he didn't let himself fully feel until he turned 50. It's a conversation about achievement, identity, family patterns, and what it costs to keep proving you're enough — and what's on the other side of finally stopping.
Chad's new book, The Performance Trap: The Ache No Success Will Ever Fix, launches October 1, 2026 Get the first chapter, read in his voice, at herstwellness.com/chapter-one.
 
Guest bio:
Chad Herst is a mind/body and executive coach and the author of The Performance Trap: The Ache No Success Will Ever Fix. He has been coaching since 2008. His work helps people notice the patterns that take over under pressure, listen for what matters to them, and try different ways of responding in daily life.
Find out more: https://herstwellness.com
His new book, The Performance Trap: The Ache No Success Will Ever Fix, names the pattern he kept finding underneath the success in his clients, and in himself: the drive that builds something real, then keeps running long after it stops feeling like enough. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Melissa.
 
Connect with Chad:
Website: herstwellness.com
Free first chapter (read in his voice): herstwellness.com/chapter-one 
 
Key takeaways:
Achievement can be a coping mechanism as much as a calling — and the two can look identical from the outside
A pattern that starts as protection (being "the good kid," never a problem) can quietly become an identity you can't set down
Practices like Ashtanga, meditation, and ceremony don't create your patterns — they reveal and can magnify them
Sometimes the body has to break down before old grief finally has somewhere to go
Integration — bringing an insight into ordinary daily life — is harder, and more important, than the peak moment that produced it
Telling the truth about your own story, even imperfectly and even when family disagrees with how you tell it, can itself be a form of healing
 
Content Advisory: This episode includes a personal conversation about grief after a suicide loss, a family member's mental illness, and the complicated emotions that can follow. Please take care while listening, and feel free to skip this one if it isn't the right time.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available:
United States: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or chat at 988lifeline.org. Available 24/7.
Canada: Call or text 9-8-8 (Suicide Crisis Helpline). Available 24/7, in English and French.
Outside the US and Canada: Find a helpline in your country at findahelpline.com.
If you're in immediate danger, please call your local emergency number (911 in the US and Canada).
 
Leave a review: If this episode resonated, a 5-star review and a note on your biggest takeaway helps other seekers find these conversations.
 
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube · or wherever you listen.
Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 1: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater/ Purple Valley Retreat WEEK 2: https://yogagoa.com/harmony-slater-2/   Ancient Breathing 2.0 Master Class - https://harmonyslater.com/free-90-minute-pranayama-masterclassFIND Harmony online: https://harmonyslater.com/Harmony on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyslaterofficial/Finding Harmony Podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/findingharmonypodcast/FREE Manifestation Activation: https://harmonyslater.kit.com/manifestation-activation

What happens when the thing that saved your life becomes the thing you have to heal from?
Chad Herst has been practicing Ashtanga yoga since his twenties — authorized to teach by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois himself in 2003 — and coaching high-performing founders and executives since 2008. From the outside, he'd figured it out. From the inside, he was running the exact pattern he now helps his clients name: the drive that builds something real, and then keeps running long after it stops feeling like enough.
 
Harmony and Russell sit down with their old friend from the Mysore years to talk about what actually broke that pattern open — a body that finally refused to cooperate, a decade of sitting with ayahuasca, and a grief from his brother's death in 1991 that he didn't let himself fully feel until he turned 50. It's a conversation about achievement, identity, family patterns, and what it costs to keep proving you're enough — and what's on the other side of finally stopping.
Chad's new book, The Performance Trap: The Ache No Success Will Ever Fix, launches October 1, 2026 Get the first chapter, read in his voice, at herstwellness.com/chapter-one.
 
Guest bio:
Chad Herst is a mind/body coach and licensed acupuncturist who has coached founders, executives, and high performers since 2008 — the kind of people who look, from the outside, like they've figured it out. Most of his life, he was one of them, which turned out to be the part the work was about. He spent years training in Ashtanga yoga and was authorized to teach by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in 2003 [VERIFY]. His new book, The Performance Trap: The Ache No Success Will Ever Fix, names the pattern he kept finding underneath the success in his clients, and in himself: the drive that builds something real, then keeps running long after it stops feeling like enough. He lives in Northern California with his wife, Melissa.
 
Connect with Chad:
Website: herstwellness.com
Free first chapter (read in his voice): herstwellness.com/chapter-one 
 
Key takeaways:
Achievement can be a coping mechanism as much as a calling — and the two can look identical from the outside
A pattern that starts as protection (being "the good kid," never a problem) can quietly become an identity you can't set down
Practices like Ashtanga, meditation, and ceremony don't create your patterns — they reveal and can magnify them
Sometimes the body has to break down before old grief finally has somewhere to go
Integration — bringing an insight into ordinary daily life — is harder, and more important, than the peak moment that produced it
Telling the truth about your own story, even imperfectly and even when family disagrees with how you tell it, can itself be a form of healing
 
Content Advisory: This episode includes a personal conversation about grief after a suicide loss, a family member's mental illness, and the complicated emotions that can follow. Please take care while listening, and feel free to skip this one if it isn't the right time.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available:
United States: Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), or chat at 988lifeline.org. Available 24/7.
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Outside the US and Canada: Find a helpline in your country at findahelpline.com.
If you're in immediate danger, please call your local emergency number (911 in the US and Canada).
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