The Adult Chair Podcast with Michelle Chalfant

Episode Summary:
In this episode, I'm joined by Laura Dionisio, one of our Certified Adult Chair® Master Coaches, for a powerful and vulnerable conversation about what happens when we stop living from our protective masks and begin listening to what our body is trying to tell us.
Laura shares her journey from an engineering, high-achieving mindset into a more heart-open life led from within. She talks about the "badass" or "I've got this" mask she wore for years, how it protected her inner child, and what it looked like to finally begin letting that mask go.
We also talk about shame, inner child healing, and why so many of us keep running around the very feelings that are asking to be felt, metabolized, and released. Laura shares how The Adult Chair® framework helped her work with her adolescent parts instead of fighting them, and how she learned to reconnect with her body after years of living mostly from her head.
This episode is such a beautiful reminder that healing is not about becoming someone new. It is about softening the masks, turning toward the parts of us that feel afraid or ashamed, and learning how to live from the truth of who we really are.
Key Takeaways:
Protective masks often form when parts of us feel afraid, unsafe, ashamed, or unsupported
Laura's "tough" persona helped her feel protected, but eventually became something she was ready to release
Shame, unworthiness, and fear do not transform when we avoid them. We have to turn toward them with compassion
Feeling emotions in the body can feel confusing at first, especially if you have spent years living in your head
A body scan is a simple practice that helps you notice physical sensations without trying to change them
"Reverse bedtime procrastination" can be a sign that your needs, joy, or truth are being ignored during the day
Creating space between a realization and an action can help you own your truth without panicking
Fear and doubt do not always mean you are making the wrong decision. Sometimes they are protective parts trying to keep you safe
Resources from this Episode:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura.m.dionisio 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-dionisio/
The Pivot Point Podcast
FREE Heart-Aligned Career Transition Starter: https://www.leadintact.com/freebies/heart-aligned-career
 
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Episode Summary
In this bonus episode, I'm answering the most common questions I receive about The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification Program and what makes this six-month experience so powerful.
I'll walk you through who the program is for, what you'll learn, why you don't need prior coaching experience, and how the certification supports both personal and professional transformation. This is not just about learning how to coach. It's about becoming the kind of person who can hold grounded, compassionate space for others while doing your own deep inner work.
I'll also share what's included in the program, from the four-day in-person training to monthly live teachings, personal coaching sessions, practicum hours, coach feedback, and business support.
Key Takeaways
You do not need previous coaching experience to join
This program includes both personal transformation and coach training
You'll learn The Adult Chair Coaching methodology, parts work, triggers, unconscious beliefs, nervous system awareness, intuition, and masterful listening
The program begins with a four-day in-person training in Phoenix
You'll receive live teaching, mentoring, coaching, feedback, and support throughout the six months
You'll also receive business training to help you begin building a coaching practice
Resources from this Episode:
The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification: Enroll Now!
Have more questions? Email Michelle at michelle@michellechalfant.com 
 
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Episode Summary
Have you ever wanted to change a relationship with someone you love, but had no idea where to begin?
In this episode, I'm joined by Tracy Brown, one of my Adult Chair coaches, for a vulnerable conversation about how inner child work, parts work, and speaking from the heart helped her transform her relationship with her father.
Tracy shares how she moved through old hurt, resentment, and the story that her dad did not really want to be with her. After working with the younger parts of herself that felt forgotten and not special, she was able to speak her truth without blame, open her heart, and create a completely different outcome than her ego could have imagined.
Key Takeaways
The ego creates stories when we feel hurt, rejected, forgotten, or not prioritized
Stories can make us believe there is only one way someone can prove they love us
Parts work helps us identify the younger parts that are carrying old pain
Tracy discovered a three-year-old part of herself that felt lonely, sad, forgotten, and not special
Emotional release can create more space, softness, and compassion in the body
Speaking from the heart is different than speaking from the head or ego
Vulnerability invites a different kind of response from the other person
When we speak our truth without blame, we create space for deeper connection
The ego bases the future on what has happened in the past
Staying present allows the outcome to be better than we could have imagined
Journaling after inner work helps with integration and deeper understanding
Inner child work is ongoing, and younger parts may still need love and attention after a breakthrough
Resources from this Episode:
The Adult Chair® Coaching Certification:
https://theadultchair.com/certification
Connect with Tracy Brown:
https://coachingwithtracybrown.com
Connect with Tracy on IG @reidybrown
 
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Episode Summary
Self-worth is an inside job, but so many of us were taught to look outside of ourselves to feel valuable. In this episode, I'm talking about what self-worth really is, where it comes from, and how appearance, performance, perfectionism, people-pleasing, codependency, and outside validation can shape the way we see ourselves.
I also share part of my own story of growing up with my worth tied to beauty and appearance, and how that eventually led me on a deeper journey of building real self-worth from within.
You'll learn how to come back to fact and truth when comparison or self-judgment starts to spiral, how to practice self-validation in small everyday moments, and how to help children build healthy self-worth by validating who they are, not just what they do.
Key Takeaways
Self-worth is not something you have to earn
Looking outside of yourself for your worth leads to unhealthy patterns and relationships
Appearance, performance, helping, perfectionism, and people-pleasing can all become ways we try to feel worthy
Codependency can make our identity and self-worth feel tied to helping others
Children build self-worth through what is modeled and reflected back to them
Validating children for who they are is more powerful than only praising what they do
Comparison is not always the problem. The problem is when comparison turns into self-judgment
Stories are not fact and truth, and they can send us into anxiety, overwhelm, and awfulizing
You have the power to choose which thoughts you latch onto
Changing your physical state can help interrupt a negative emotional spiral
Small daily validations matter, even if no one else sees them
Healthy self-worth is built from the inside out
Resources from this Episode:
Free Self-Worth Masterclass:
https://theadultchair.com/selfworth
The Adult Chair® Metamorphosis Live Event:
https://theadultchair.com/liveevents
 
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant

Episode Summary
In this episode, I'm talking about empty nest syndrome and what it really feels like when one or more of your children leave the nest.
So many people talk about this season of life, but nothing can fully prepare you for the grief, quiet, sadness, and identity shift that can come when your child moves out, goes to college, or begins building a life outside your home. 
Today, I'm sharing seven ways to navigate empty nest syndrome from your Adult Chair. We talk about allowing yourself to feel the grief instead of numbing or avoiding it, validating yourself for the job you did as a parent, trusting your children to figure life out, and learning how to let them make mistakes without rushing in to save them.
I also talk about why this season can become the beginning of your "act three." After years of raising children, driving carpool, making meals, showing up at practices, helping with school, and focusing so much energy on your family, the focus begins to shift back to you. This can feel uncomfortable at first, but it can also become a beautiful opportunity to rediscover who you are now.
This episode is a reminder that empty nest grief is real, but it does not last forever. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. When we allow our emotions to move through, trust our children, honor the wisdom we have earned, and create space to reconnect with ourselves, this new chapter can become a powerful season of healing, freedom, and rediscovery.
Key Takeaways
Grief is a healthy part of the empty nest process
From the Adult Chair, we do not avoid grief. We feel it, journal it, walk with it, cry it out, and allow it to move through
Grief may come in waves, especially when you think about your child or notice the quiet in the house
You do not have to be a perfect parent to acknowledge that you did a good job
Trusting your child means allowing them to make mistakes, figure things out, and learn resilience
When we constantly save or fix things for our children, they do not learn how to trust themselves
Empty nest can be the beginning of "act three," a new season where wisdom catches up with freedom
Boredom can be powerful because it creates space for inspiration, intuition, and new ideas
Getting quiet allows you to hear the deeper nudges and downloads that can guide your next chapter
Resources from this Episode:
The Adult Chair® Live Event: Metamorphosis
https://theadultchair.com/liveevent 
 
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Adult Chair® Collective
https://www.michellechalfant.com/collective 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Michellechalfant