The Adult Chair Podcast with Michelle Chalfant

Today I'm talking about one of my favorite topics and one of the most important parts of becoming a healthy adult: learning how to feel your feelings.
So many of us were never taught how to tune into what is happening inside of us. We learned to think, perform, push through, numb out, fix others, or disconnect from our feelings altogether. But when we do not know how to feel, we also lose connection with our intuition, empathy, self-trust, and the inner parts of us that need our attention.
In this episode, I break down why feeling your feelings matters, how it helps us become whole, and why it is such an important part of healing codependency, connecting with the inner child, and becoming more emotionally intelligent. I also share practical ways to begin, including body scans, journaling, inner child work, and gently working with the parts of you that may feel blocked or resistant.
Key Takeaways
Feeling your feelings helps you become a more whole and connected human
Many of us learned to numb, suppress, or avoid our feelings because we were never taught what to do with them
Emotional intelligence is just as important as intellectual intelligence
Feeling your feelings helps strengthen intuition and inner guidance
Empathy grows when we are able to feel and understand our own internal experience
Codependency begins to heal when we redirect our energy back to ourselves instead of constantly focusing on others
Feelings only stay stuck when we attach stories, assumptions, or meaning to them
Journaling can help move feelings out of the body and onto the page
Inner child work is a powerful way to reconnect with your feelings
Resistance to feeling is often a protective part that needs compassion, not judgment
Resources from this Episode:
Inner Child Meditation
 
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

If you've ever wondered what your birth chart says about your life purpose, relationships, karma, or soul path, this episode is for you.
I'm joined by evolutionary astrologer Jill Brown for a fascinating conversation about astrology, soul purpose, karma, past lives, and the deeper blueprint we each carry into this lifetime.
We talk about how astrology is so much more than your sun sign. Jill explains that evolutionary astrology is not about predicting every detail of your life or giving your power away. Instead, it is a tool for self-understanding, helping us see our soul's blueprint, karmic patterns, life lessons, relationship dynamics, parenting insights, career themes, and the places where we may be invited to grow.
Jill also shares what she sees in the astrology of 2026, including why this year may feel like the beginning of a new era. We talk about nervous system regulation, discernment, technology, AI, Uranus in Gemini, and how we can stay grounded during seasons of collective change.
Key Takeaways
A birth chart can be used as a tool for self-understanding, healing, and personal growth
Evolutionary astrology looks at the "chart behind the chart" to explore karmic memory, soul lessons, and life purpose
Jill's journey into astrology began through personal healing, motherhood, family patterns, and a powerful chart reading
Karma can be understood as memory, imprint, or an invitation to make new choices
Saturn returns can bring major life transitions, identity shifts, and deeper questions about purpose
Understanding a child's birth chart can help parents better support their unique needs, communication style, and life path
Your chart can offer insight into your work, relationships, balance, purpose, and what feels aligned for you
Nervous system regulation can help us respond instead of react during uncertain times
Resources from this Episode:
Jill Brown's Website
Book an Evolutionary Astrology Reading with Jill & use code MICHELLE for $25 off your reading.
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

In this episode, I'm joined by Nicole Kalil for a powerful and practical conversation about confidence.
Nicole has spent years studying, researching, and teaching confidence, and she breaks it down in such a grounded way. Instead of seeing confidence as something we fake, perform, or get from the outside world, Nicole defines confidence as firm and bold trust in self.
We talk about how confidence is something many of us are born with, but begin to lose as we absorb expectations, criticism, people-pleasing, perfectionism, comparison, and what Nicole calls "head trash." She shares the five confidence builders that help us rebuild trust with ourselves, including taking action, moving through fear and failure, giving ourselves grace, choosing confidence, and building internal trust one step at a time.
This conversation is such a beautiful reminder that confidence is not about looking perfect or never feeling afraid. It is about knowing who you are, owning who you are not, and choosing to trust yourself as you take the next right step.
Key Takeaways
Confidence is not about looking confident. It is about building firm and bold trust in yourself
Many of us are born trusting ourselves, but life, expectations, criticism, and social conditioning can disconnect us from that trust
Confidence is built through action, especially small, consistent steps toward what matters most
Failure, fear, mistakes, and doubt can build deeper confidence when we learn to move through them instead of avoid them
Giving yourself grace and practicing self-compassion are essential parts of building confidence
Confidence is a choice we can practice moment by moment until the feeling begins to catch up
"Head trash" is the unkind and often untrue inner dialogue that chips away at our self-trust
Perfectionism, comparison, overthinking, and seeking confidence externally can derail confidence
Keeping commitments to yourself helps build internal trust
Real confidence comes from knowing who you are, owning who you are not, and embracing all of it
Resources from this Episode:
Nicole Kalil's Website
Nicole's Podcast, This Is Woman's Work


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

Today I'm talking about how to move on after you have been hurt.
Whether it is heartbreak, betrayal, disappointment, family pain, friendship breakups, or someone not showing up the way you hoped they would, hurt is part of the human experience. But moving on is not always as simple as forgiving, forgetting, or pretending it did not matter. When we are hurt, the pain can linger, and if we do not know how to work with it, we can start living from the wound instead of from our healthy adult self.
In this episode, I break down why we get stuck in pain, how the ego mind tries to loop, ruminate, and figure everything out, and why old wounds can make present-day hurt feel even more intense. I also walk you through how to move through hurt in a whole-body way by feeling your emotions, stopping the wait for an apology, getting honest about what the experience is teaching you, and letting the pain transform you instead of define you.
Key Takeaways
Moving on after hurt does not mean pretending it did not happen
Hurt can change us, our relationships, and the way we see ourselves if we do not process it
The mind often revisits what the heart has not yet resolved
Rumination is the ego's attempt to figure out, fix, or control emotional pain
Present-day hurt can activate older wounds, including childhood abandonment, betrayal, or shame
If the pain feels disproportionate to what happened, there may be a deeper taproot wound underneath it
Waiting for an apology can keep us stuck in pain, anger, and victim energy
Feeling emotions fully allows the energy of the emotion to move through the body
Healing requires getting radically honest about what the experience is teaching us
Pain can transform us when we use it for growth instead of allowing it to define us
Resources from this Episode:
Get your copy of The Adult Chair® Book here!
 
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

In this episode, I'm joined by Ashleigh DiLello, the founder and creator of BioEmotional Healing, for a powerful conversation about the brain, body, nervous system, chronic pain, trauma, and what it really takes to heal.
Ashleigh shares her incredible story of becoming severely ill at just 13 years old, living between life and death for years, and eventually finding her way back to health, dance, and life. After building a successful career as a professional dancer, TV and Broadway performer, wife, and mother, she faced another life-altering health crisis after a failed hip surgery launched her body into chronic pain.
We talk about how the nervous system stores our life experiences, why stress responses can show up as anxiety, perfectionism, chronic pain, autoimmune issues, gut issues, and other symptoms, and why regulating the nervous system is only part of the healing process.
Key Takeaways
The brain-body connection plays a major role in chronic pain, trauma, anxiety, and healing
Long-term survival mode can become familiar to the nervous system, even after the original threat is gone
Stress responses can show up in many ways, including pain, anxiety, perfectionism, depression, OCD behaviors, autoimmune symptoms, gut issues, and more
Regulation helps calm the nervous system in the moment, but rewiring changes the deeper patterns that keep the stress response active
Self-compassion is essential for nervous system rewiring because harsh self-criticism keeps the brain in a protective state
Healing requires rebuilding trust with yourself, your body, and your ability to create a new identity
We can honor what we have been through without allowing it to define the rest of our lives

Resources from this Episode:
Ashleigh DiLello's Website
Free Brain-Body Blueprint
Instagram: @ashleighdilello
 
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